


Lost in this Tainted Life

by Shadowclanwarrior



Category: Kuroshitsuji | Black Butler
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-07
Updated: 2016-04-07
Packaged: 2018-05-31 18:15:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 31
Words: 53,965
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6481573
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shadowclanwarrior/pseuds/Shadowclanwarrior
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ever since she was a little girl, shinigami Lucinda Harrowine had always dreamed of being a great grim reaper, just like her hero, the legendary Adrian Crevan.  But with the reaper society not allowing her to follow her dream, the outcast runs away  and puts her fate into her own hands. In her struggle to reach her dream, Lucinda comes across a mysterious, retired grim reaper simply known as the Undertaker, who takes her under his wing and trains her in the art of soul reaping.  Different and outcasts in their own right, the two become so drawn to each other in ways they couldn't imagine.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Introduction

_"I never fit in. I am a true alternative. And I love being the outcast. That's my role in life, to be an outcast."_

_\- Meat Loaf_

In every society, there is a center norm for all individuals to follow. In every perfectly structured society, one must live by these standers and never sway away from it, for to fall from that said path would be like falling from grace. And the grim reaper society was no different from this rule, in fact, one could consider that they could be the source of that rule.

A shinigami's life is set in stone from the moment they are born, their life just like any other shinigami's. The males of the species must train and learn to gather souls of humans and save their cinematic records to be stored in the great Shinigami Library. He must be fully committed to his job, to show no emotional attachment or concern for a life and to take in orders without question. And while he is out retaining the balance of life and death, the females must always be ready to organize those collected souls and help their fellow men from afar.

A shinigami woman must always be as calm and levelheaded, ready to do whatever their male counterparts ask of them. They must be willing to give themselves fully to their comrades, their husbands, and their sons of the future generation of grim reapers. With the men being the fighter and the women being the supporter, a perfect utopia stands with every shinigami having a place and certain role for them.

But in contrast with every utopia born, there is always that one, or two, outcasts who change it forever.


	2. Chapter 1

Lucinda Harrowine let out a dreamy sigh as she flipped through the pages of one of the books in the grand Shinigami Library. She was hiding in the far corners of the library, specifically in an old storage room, sitting on the floor with only a little light to see from. Though Lucinda did not mind the dim lighting, for as long as she had her book, it did not matter if she got a headache from exhausting her poor nearsighted vision. Her smile grew and grew with every sentence she read, the admiring look in her bright yellow-green eyes becoming stronger and stronger.

"Harrowine? Harrowine are you here?"

Lucinda froze as she heard one of the head librarians call her name. Clutching tightly onto the book, she internally prayed to herself that she would not be caught sneaking off from work again, for she knew she would not hear the end of it if she did. Though, even if she was working like she was supposed to, she would be called out for shelving the books wrong again. Or the fact that she wasn't in the proper uniform, or that her long dark orange hair was out of place, or that her glasses were not put on correctly... The list could go on and on, in fact, to the point where Lucinda expected to be criticized just for breathing at the wrong times.

_Just have one thing out of place and the whole world has to point it out._

Eventually, she heard her superior's footsteps ceased, going right pass the storage room. Lucinda let out a sigh of relief and continued back to her reading.

Until the door to the storage room was forced opened a minute later and let out a bright flash of light. Lucinda shielded her eyes and growled.

"H-hey! Don't open the door so fast!" she cried out. "It hurts the eyes!"

A small chuckle went passed her ears.

"Then perhaps you should start rethinking on where to hide when you want to slack off. Honestly, Lucinda, you really need to think these things through."

With her eyes getting used to the light, Lucinda lowered her hand to see the face of her good friend, Ronald Knox.

"Well, if you haven't noticed, there aren't that many places I can go," Lucinda said as she stood up. "Nor is it easy to get away from all these supervisors and higher officials around."

Ronald rolled his eyes, yet having an amused smile on his face.

"And yet I wonder _why_ they keep having the higher ups keep an eye on the library staff so often, specifically you..."

He paused for a short moment.

"Yep, that is a mystery that I will never know."

Lucinda growled and playfully punched his arm.

"Shut up! Like you don't slack off when they give you overtime with reaping souls!" she countered.

"Though at least I know how to not be so obvious," Ronald replied.

Seeing the book in her hand, he quickly took a hold of it and stole it away from Lucinda. She gasped in protest, trying desperately to get her book back as Ronald pushes her away. While keeping her back, he read the front cover. He frowned.

" _Really_ , Lucinda? You're reading that old textbook about the most famous grim reapers?"

He opened the book with one hand and saw that one particular section is bookmarked.

"Oh! And the 'Adrian Crevan' section is the part where you are reading, I see..."

"Give it back, Ronald!"

Finally able to get the book out of his grasp, Lucinda took the book and hugged it protectively to her chest, her face turning bright red. Ronald smirked.

"I can see that old crush hasn't left you," he said. "Even after all this time out of school, you still dream about the Legendary Adrian Crevan."

Lucinda narrowed her eyes.

"S-so what if I do! He is a great shinigami who has done so much! Reaping the souls of people like Marie Antoinette and Robin Hood... How can someone, especially someone like you who actually reaps souls, _can't_ admire that?!"

A dreamy look appeared in Lucinda's gaze as she started to ramble on how great Adrian Crevan was. Ronald, sighing to himself, allowed her to ramble and praise as he dragged her out of the storage room.

"Uh-huh. Yeah, that is interesting to hear, Lucinda..."

He closed the door to the storage room, locking it in the process. Lucinda blinked, now realizing that Ronald wasn't really listening to her.

"...Fine, don't listen to me!" she exclaimed. "It doesn't matter! For one day I'll meet him when I become a legend just like him! A great reaper of souls, the first and greatest female shinigami!"

It took all of Ronald's self-control not to burst out laughing, as the edges of his mouth twitched.

"...Lucinda, listen to yourself. You just said to of the most impossible of things," he said, his voice sounding a mix between amused and serious. "The higher ups would never accept a girl into their ranks. Soul reaping is just not a thing for women to do. It is a far too physically and mentally challenging that requires a lot of will and patience, which is even hard for us men at times! And second, Adrian Crevan has disappeared from the reaper society centuries ago, so even if you somehow did get famous with soul reaping and all, you would most likely never meet him."

Lucinda tightened her grip on her book.

"So just because I wasn't born a man means I have to be stuck here all my life?!" she demanded, sounding offended.

Ronald shook his head as he grabbed a large stack books from a nearby desk.

"No, I mean if you really hate your job, you could become a secretary or even a teacher," he suggested. "I mean, there are a loads of things you can do."

"Yeah, but _those_ are all jobs that are _exactly_ the same as this one!" Lucinda argued. "They keep me cooped up in one place and don't have anything of self value to them! I want excitement, a chance to go outside our realm and see what the mortal world is like! Want to be a _true_ grim reaper!"

Ronald took awhile to reply, his yellow-green gaze staring deeply into Lucinda's eyes. A rare look of concern and solemnity appeared in his usual carefree expression, where he let out a heavy sigh.

"Lucinda, you've got to understand that it is just a fantasy and nothing more," Ronald said. "You can never have the job like I have, and even if you could, you wouldn't like it. You really don't know what you would be getting yourself into, and you will immediately regret it the moment you try to reap your first soul. Now, hold this."

Stepping closer to her with the large stack of books, Ronald gave the stack to her. Lucinda struggled involuntarily to hold onto them, however her eyes remain on Ronald.

"You don't know if that is what I would truly think," she said firmly. "How can you just assume that if I have never been able to have the chance?!"

"Because it is not how it is supposed to be," Ronald replied. "I may not be fully by the book either, as a lot of the overly strict rules can be annoying at times, such as overtime, but at least I _know_ what can be pushed and what can't be. And if you keep your head in the clouds, you are going to put yourself into a big amount of trouble with the-"

"There you are, Harrowine!"

Ronald was cut off as he and Lucinda turned to see the head librarian approach them.

"Harrowine, you _better_ not be slacking off again!" the head librarian exclaimed, her voice full of intense anger. "I have caught you slacking off over a hundred times this decade! I have warned you time and time again for your laziness and disrespect, but this is the _very_ last straw!"

Overwhelming anger burned within Lucinda, as she started to open her mouth come up with a snappy reply. But before she could say anything, Ronald gave a carefree smile to the head librarian and said, "Sorry ma'am, I was just wanting to speak with Lucinda for a second, after a long day of work and all. She was working really hard when I stopped by, hence the large stack of books she is carrying."

He pointed towards them for emphasis.

"Sorry if I caused any problems."

The head librarian narrowed her eyes, her gaze shifting between Lucinda and Ronald. Behind the stack of books, Lucinda gave a 'what the hell?' look but Ronald seemed to ignore it. Eventually, the head librarian sighed.

"If that's how it is, I'll take your word from it, Mr. Knox. But please, don't distract Miss Harrowine from her duties. She has enough problems as it is."

_What?!_

If it wasn't for the stack off heavy books she was carrying, Lucinda would have punched that woman in the face. With that said, the head librarian walked away, and once she was out of earshot, Ronald turned to Lucinda.

"See what I mean? You already have it bad for yourself and you don't need to make it worse. If I didn't save you right there, you would have been out of the job."

Lucinda growled and put the book stack, including her own book, down on the table.

"But what else am I suppose to do," she demanded, "just pretend that everything is fine and go with what everyone tells me? That I should ignore my own ambitions because it isn't normal for what women want?! I've been trying and trying to fit in, but it doesn't seem to work, as you clearly see!"

"I understand that it is hard to be at the exact standers that everyone puts on you," Ronald replied, a hint of sympathy in his voice. "But you will find a way to show that you belong, I know you will. Just don't let your stubbornness blind you and keep you back."

He smiled.

"Glad that I was able to give you another chance to keep your job. I got a date tonight, so I'll see you later."

Waving goodbye, Ronald left the library. Lucinda watched him go, a million things going through her mind.

_Find a way that I'll belong..._

She laughed softly to herself.

_As long as I'm trapped in the role I'm in, I'll_ never _find my place._

Picking up some of the books, Lucinda began to shelve them back in their proper place. As she worked, she could hear some of the other librarians stare at her and make comments to themselves. Some of them were even laughing. Lucinda tried to make eye contact with them, but once they noticed that she was listening to them, the two would quickly pull apart and go back to doing their job. Lucinda let out a heavy sigh.

_Damn my life._


	3. Chapter 2

After a long day of work, Lucinda slowly made her way towards her apartment. She was walking through the not so crowded streets of the city, as most of the men were still out reaping souls. The only few people that were out were the women who were getting off of work like Lucinda was, each having the same expressionless look on their faces. Lucinda always hated that look, the look of blandness and boredom. There was no personality between most female grim reapers, all having that supposed selfless, robotic attitude.

_And people actually want me to become like that?_

Lucinda sneered at that thought.

Trying to quicken her pace so she can get home quicker, she went past a small group of teenage girls gossiping at a street corner.

"So, did you hear that someone actually broke into the death scythe department and stole a custom death scythe yesterday?" a blonde hair girl was saying.

Lucinda froze in place. She glanced back at the girls, one of them nodding their head.

"Yes! I've heard it was a new model," a brunette with short curls exclaimed, "and it was a customized one as well!"

"Customized?!" a girl with large glasses gasped. "Oh my God, this _is_ serious! It is almost impossible to get one of those, my boyfriend tells me, so it must be very powerful."

"Yeah, but what makes it even more shocking is that no one knows who did it," the blonde girl said. "There was no trace of evidence at all! And to get into a high secured building like that...whoever did it, he must be a very skilled reaper."

The dark haired girl let out a dreamy sigh.

"He must be a _very_ strong shinigami, and maybe even good looking too!"

All the girls gave girlish giggles, none of them really giving any real thought of what the situation actually meant. But Lucinda did, her eyes widening as she just stood on the sidewalk.

Someone...someone actually stole something from the death scythe department, _succeeding_?! That...that was truly an amazing accomplishment, for the only thing that the grim reapers kept more sacred than the cinematic records was their tools for gathering those human memories.

Lucinda slowly continued her long walk, her thoughts drifting as she tried to picture how that person was able to break into the death scythe department. She had always seen that building from afar, as it was not too far from the Shinigami Library, and she always knew how crowded and tightly secured it was. In fact, she even at times fantasized herself going there and getting her own death scythe.

_If I could have my own death scythe, then I would be on my way to becoming a real grim reaper._

Wait...

Stopping right in front of the door to her apartment, Lucinda ceased all movement as a dangerous thought appeared in her mind.

No...she couldn't do _that_! She would have to be the most desperate person in the whole realm if she really went through that thought. It was an act of treason, suicidal, too impossible for someone like her to do alone!

_But...it may be the only way for me to ever to become more._

Lucinda put her key inside the lock of the door and slightly turned it.

It was a true, she knew deep down. Just going along with the flow and complaining about how her life sucked wasn't going the change anything. If she was going to be that great shinigami she always dreamed to be, _she_ had to be the one to act, not the higher officials. They would never accept her, like Ronald said, nor would they accept any other girl who had the exact same dreams that she had, if there were any. If there was going to be a change, if she wanted to escape, then she had to act, just like that man who broke into the death scythe department.

Lucinda smiled slightly, sighing a bit to herself as she went inside her apartment.

Yep, she was definitely crazy to plan on breaking into the death scythe department herself.

* * *

After a week of careful planning and preparing, Lucinda got herself ready to go out and achieve her death scythe. She had everything perfectly planned out, with a backup plan to make sure that nothing went wrong. No matter what happened tonight, she was _going_ to escape, she was going to finally make her dream a reality!

Lucinda smiled as she stared at herself in a full body mirror in her bedroom. After buying some men's clothing, Lucinda did her best to disguise her feminine form, hoping it would give her some advantage with no long skirt to trip over and freer movement. It was a simple black business suit, with a white undershirt and yellow-green tie to match her eyes. She had pulled back her long hair, making sure it would have no interference with her work. She looked like a professional, she honestly appeared to be an official reaper. Lucinda's smile grew, pure happiness and excitement going through her.

_I'm going to do it!_

With the darkness of the night covering her, Lucinda left her apartment and stalked through the dark streets. Using Ronald, who was completely oblivious to her intent, gave her insight on what was going on with the shifts at his work. She had chosen to come out on a date where most of the shinigami would be out late for excessive overtime. With most of the men gone, that would mean less guards and fewer people to react to when she finally made her deed.

The streets were completely deserted, a deathly silence blowing through the never changing cool air. In fact, Lucinda didn't really have to sneak around as she walked, for there was absolutely no one to see her. Her heart pounded in her chest with every step she took, but no fear was in her gaze, only adventurous excitement.

Eventually, Lucinda arrived at the front of the Shinigami Library. Only a block left till she reached the death scythe department. Lucinda stared at her old work for a long moment. If there was one thing she would miss, it would be the library. True, she hated working there, but it was the place where she could read all the time and be 'close' to the grim reaper legends. Be close to Adrian Crevan. A determined look burned in Lucinda's eyes.

_But soon I will be a part of those legends. It may start out as an act of treason, but I will prove to them that I am one of them!_

Treason...

Putting that thought in the back of her mind, Lucinda made her way past the library and towards the death scythe department. It was part of a bigger government building, where all the higher officials' offices were and where the specially made grim reaper glasses were crafted, but there was a front door entrance for easy access to those who needed their death scythes repaired so they didn't have to go through the entire building. Like she expected, there were no guards outside the white, now silver in the dark, building. But there was security traps to worry about, and Lucinda knew she could not get over-confident.

One wrong move, and she was dead.

Taking a deep breath of air, Lucinda made her way to the door. Taking out a lock pick from her pocket, she carefully started to pick the lock. It took several minutes, Lucinda's breathing quickening as she kept glancing over her shoulder. Eventually, she heard the lock click, and the automatic door opened for her. Lucinda smiled in triumph.

_Yes!_

She quickly moved inside. Keeping her eyes and ears alert, along with staying in the shadows, she moved through the dark, enclosed waiting room. So far, she could not see any security traps.

_Perhaps they thought no one would be foolish enough to break in again?_

The higher officials have yet to capture, or reveal, who did the first break in, but they went out of their way to intimidate those who would dare try it for themselves. Or at least the men, for Ronald had told her how much crap he had to take from the higher ups giving out warnings and threats. They did not, however, thought about warning or making sure any women wouldn't break in. Lucinda smirked.

_Serves them right for underestimating us. Or underestimating me._

Getting past the waiting room and front desk, Lucinda quietly and cautiously went down a long hallway. It was hard to see, but she eventually was able to get to a door that led to the room where they built the death scythes. After picking the lock to the door like she did the front, she slowly opened it. She gasped.

The room was the most amazing thing she had ever seen, for it was stored with hundreds upon hundreds of death scythes, each having their own features and even some with personal customization. There were death scythes big and small, sharp blades to skinny razors, from complex designs to simple functions. They were all modern and brand new, death scythes that were yet to be chosen by a shinigami. And one of them was going to be hers.

Lucinda slowly stepped into the room, her eyes moving from death scythe to death scythe. Each one had their own advantages and disadvantages, Lucinda could clearly see, but she needed to be sure she picked the scythe that would be perfect for her and for her alone. And there was a certain model that she had in mind to pick...

When she did not see the scythe that she wanted, Lucinda walked towards the far back of the room. And there, in the far corner, was a death scythe that caught and held Lucinda's eye. The scythe, unlike the others in the room, was a very simple design and had the least customization, clearly telling that it was newly made. It was in the classical death scythe design, with a long, dark brown handle with a giant, sharp blade at its end that was big enough to cut off ten human heads with no problems. It was simple, but elegant, and it would show true power to whoever held it.

Lucinda, her eyes shining, stepped closer to the magnificent death scythe. Yes... _this_ was the scythe that she wanted! With her heart beating faster and faster, Lucinda reached out towards it.

But the moment she took it within her grasp, bright red lights came on within the room and a loud siren went off throughout the entire building. Lucinda gasped, cold fear going through her body as the alarms went off.

Without thinking, Lucinda ran out of the room with her death scythe in hand. She dashed down the hallway, the sirens echoing through her ears and the red lights taking over her vision. With the front door now being barred up, Lucinda raised her death scythe and sliced through it, destroying the fragile door. The cool night air spread itself onto Lucinda's face, for in the distance, she could see a bunch of small lights coming closer and closer to her. The shinigami authorities were coming after her! Using all her strength, Lucinda ran for life, hearing shouting behind her and the sound of death scythes trying to take her down.

"Stop him, don't let him get away!" she heard someone exclaim.

Lucinda did not dare to look back, she did not dare slow down her pace. There was no way that she was going to lose them this way, if she kept running, she would eventually run out of energy and be caught. There was only way she would have any hope of getting out alive was to cross the line into the human world.

_I have to make it! I have to go faster!_

At that moment, she saw from the corner of her eye a grim reaper come up behind her and try to strike her down with his death scythe. Reacting quickly, Lucinda turned around and blocked his attack with her own scythe. Their eyes met, and her attacker's eyes widened.

" _What_?! A _woman_!?"

Taking advantage of his distracted state, Lucinda pushed him back with her scythe and quickly dashed away. Faster and faster, pushing herself more and more. Eventually, Lucinda found herself coming up to the edge of the shinigami realm, the gateway to the human world. Hope appeared on Lucinda's face.

_I'm almost there!_

"Close the gate, close the gate!" one of the grim reapers shouted, realizing what she was doing. " _Don't let her go through_!"

But the command came out too late, for Lucinda already dashed right through the black barred opened gate. Going through a bright white light, she had crossed over to the human world.


	4. Chapter 3

As the bright white light flashed past her, Lucinda could feel cold droplets of rain pour down on her. The area around her became pitch black, dim streetlights barely illuminating the dark, rainy city. Lucinda continued run with all her might, not taking the chance of letting the shinigami catch up to her if they indeed followed her. But with slippery, wet streets, she had trouble keeping her balance, and with her long death scythe to carry along with her fatigue starting to catch up to her…

_No, I can't fall now!_

Eventually, Lucinda lost her footing under the slippery wet street, causing her to fall right on her face. Lucinda cried out, her whole front and legs aching as the rain poured down on her. She tried to lift up her head, her glasses fogging up and blinding her with rain droplets. She breathed heavily, trying to find the energy to get up. With her blurred vision, she could barely see a dark figure trying to approach her.

"…N-no! Stay back!"

Lucinda sat up a bit and raised up her scythe, glaring down at the figure who was coming closer and closer. Fear took a hold of Lucinda, as she knew that she was completely defenseless. The figure, who Lucinda could tell was a man, stopped right in front of her, as she looked up to meet his gaze. But she could not see any eyes. The man let out a small chuckle.

"What have we here? A little grim reaper all alone in the rain," he said with a slightly amused tone. "And a woman, nevertheless."

Lucinda's eyes widened, her grip tightening on her death scythe. The man chuckled again, reaching out his hand towards her.

"It's alright, m'dear. I won't harm you. I can take you someplace safe from the rain."

Lucinda's eyes widened. She stared at the man for a long moment, her mind racing, wondering if this was some kind of trick. Slowly, knowing that she had little choice, she reached up and took his hand. The mysterious man helped her up, but the moment she was on her feet again, Lucinda felt her legs become weak. Taking her death scythe from her hand, the man let her lean on him for support.

"My shop isn't too far from here," he said. "Just hang in there until I can get you some place the lay down."

Lucinda only nodded in reply, her eyelids growing heavy as she felt herself become light headed. Whoever this man was, she had no choice but to trust him.

Blindly, Lucinda let her savior guide her towards a dark building, in which she could not see any details of what it was from her almost ruined glasses. The man opened the door, and guided Lucinda into a dark room where she felt her damp clothes become extremely heavy. After walking through what seemed to be a long hallway, they entered a small room where a single bed laid.

"Lie down here and rest," the man said. "The shinigami officials will not get you here."

The moment he let go of her, Lucinda fell down on top of the bed, her world fading into black as she closed her exhausted eyes.

* * *

Groaning in her sleep, Lucinda slowly opened her eyes. She stared blankly at a blurry, dark gray wall, her mind feeling fuzzy as she tried to remember what she was doing. The bed she was in...it was very cozy, though a bit rough and damp. She was very comfortable, making it to where moving a single muscle took so much effort.

But...this was _not_ her bed.

Forcing herself to sit up, Lucinda slowly reached out to a nearby nightstand where she found her glasses. Placing them on, she blinked a couple of times to find herself in a very empty, cobwebbed filled bedroom.

_Where...where am I?_

It took awhile for Lucinda's mind to fully remember her break in to the death scythe department, her escape to the human world. And her encounter with the mysterious man. Lucinda felt her face paled.

She couldn't hear anything in the room, the door to the room being shut. Her death scythe was nowhere in sight, making her anxiety grow even more. Slowly, Lucinda stood up from the bed and cautiously walked towards the door. She opened up, poking her head out just a bit to see if anyone was there, but it was completely deserted.

A small light came from the left end of the hallway, in which Lucinda guessed that someone was down there. Taking a deep breath of air, she made her way towards it. Staying hidden within the shadows, Lucinda took a small look inside the room to see what looked like, to her surprise, a funeral shop. Handmade wooden coffins were scattered all over the place, cobwebs in every corner with scattered books laying on dusty bookshelves. At the front desk, Lucinda could see the back of a man wearing a long black coat and black hat with extremely long silver hair.

Lucinda's eyes widened, for she had no doubt that was the man who saved her.

Slowly, the man turned around to show his pale face, his long silver bangs covering his eyes as a long scar divided his face diagonally in half. A large, seemingly friendly, smile appeared on face.

"You don't need to hide. I know that you are there."

Lucinda froze. Without having any choice, she slowly came out. She gave a nervous look.

"Um...hello," Lucinda said softly. "I...uh, guess it was you who brought me here..."

The man nodded, his smile still remaining at large.

"I did, and it was a good thing that I did. You didn't look like you were going to last much longer out there."

He rest his arm on top of the desk.

"You are not hurt, are you?" he asked. "You fell unconscious the moment I brought you in, so I didn't get a chance to check you."

Lucinda shook her head.

"No, I'm fine. Just tired. I, uh, had to do a lot of running."

The man chuckled slightly.

"Indeed you did. Running away from the grim reapers, weren't you, young shinigami?"

Lucinda's eyes widened, a look of shock appearing on her face.

"...How do you know that I am a grim reaper?!" she demanded. "I...how can a _human_ like you tell what I am!?"

As if she said the greatest joke ever, the man fell into a large laughing fit. He leaned into his desk and placed his hand over his head, laughing so hard. Lucinda stared at him, too shocked and confused to act. Eventually, the man got a hold of himself and turned back towards Lucinda.

"He he he! I thought it would have been obvious," he said with small giggles. "It would be really sad if I was unable to tell apart between my own species and another, especially if they have their death scythes with them."

Lucinda gasped.

"Wait...you're a _shinigami_?!"

The dark man nodded, smiling brightly.

"Indeed I am, m'dear, though long retired from active duty," he explained. "I sort of got tired of living by the rules in the shinigami realm, so I came here to live about the humans. A quite fascinating life, living among those who we reap the souls of."

He tipped his head to the side slightly.

"And it looks like that you had the same thought, did you not, m'dear? Is that why you stole a death scythe and ran away?"

It took awhile for Lucinda to reply, as she was still in shock that she was talking to a member of her own kind in the human world, one that _willing_ helped her after what she did.

"...Yes, you could say that," she finally explained. "I hated being forced to be in the role I was in, so with a little inspiration, I decided to rebel."

The man nodded his head.

"I see. So the role of women hasn't changed since the centuries I've been gone? Can't say that I'm surprised."

He studied Lucinda for a moment.

"And for a person who has been so enclosed and closely protected her whole life, it is impressive that you were even able to _get_ to the human world. Let alone with a death scythe as big as the one you had..."

"Yeah, speaking of my death scythe, where is it?" Lucinda asked, though it sounded more like a demand.

The dark man did not answer right away, as it appeared that he was lost in thought. Lucinda grew a little irritated by that.

"Uh...hey, are you there?"

The man blinked underneath his bangs.

"Hmm? Oh, yes, your death scythe..."

He smiled.

"After you fell unconscious, I stored it in the back of my shop. It is in a safe place, don't worry."

He paused.

"Though I'm surprised you chose to steal an old fashion death scythe such as that. Being young, I would have thought you would have tried to steal one of the more modern ones."

"Oh, well, if I was going to have my own death scythe, I wanted one that would have a special meaning to me..."

Lucinda moved her gaze towards the dark wooden floor, a small blush appearing on her cheeks.

"...I guess it wouldn't hurt to tell you, since you saved my life and all," she said softly. "The reason why I ran away was because I wanted to be a great shinigami, to be a legendary grim reaper like all those legends who have taken the souls of the greatest of humans. I wanted to have thrill and excitement in my life! I wanted to be just like my hero who I have admired ever since school..."

A curious look appeared on the dark man's face.

"Oh? And who may that be?"

Lucinda's eyes grew brighter, her blush becoming slightly larger.

"I wanted to be a great grim reaper just like Adrian Crevan."

At the mention of the great shinigami's name, the dark man let out another great fit of laughter. Only this time it was much louder, if that was even possible, him falling out of his chair and landing on the floor. Lucinda glared down at him, her face now completely red.

"H-hey, what's so damn funny?!" she exclaimed. "Hey, stop it!"

The man continued to laugh.

"He he he! Out of all the reapers to admire, you _had_ to choose Adrian Crevan out of _all_ of them!" he exclaimed between fits of laughter.

After a long moment of laughing, he finally was able to get a hold of himself, at least as much to get himself off the floor. He leaned against the wall as he tried to catch his breath.

"He he he... My dear, Adrian Crevan is the _last_ person you want to admire," he said with heavy breaths.

Lucinda clutched her fists angrily.

_How_ dare _he laugh at me like that!_

"Oh really, and _how_ would you know?!" she snapped.

"Well...let's just say, I happen to know him personally..."

Lucinda blinked, the fury on her face slowly vanishing away.

"Wait...you _know_ Adrian Crevan?!"

The man just smiled in reply. Lucinda stared at him in pure shock, but quickly got a hold of herself as she moved closer to him.

"If you know Adrian Crevan, then you've _got_ to let me meet him!" Lucinda exclaimed. "Please, I'll do anything to just see him face to face!"

The man's hidden eyes made eye contact with Lucinda's, giving out small chuckles.

"You _really_ want to meet Adrian Crevan? And what do you plan on doing if you do meet him, little runaway?"

"Uh..."

Lucinda was unable to answer that question. The dark man laughed softly at her silence, slowly backing away from the wall and standing up straight.

"Tell you what, m'dear," he said, "since it is your dream to become legendary shinigami, you are going to need to be taught the ways of soul reaping. Not only that, but since you are an outlaw and on the run from the grim reaper society, you are also going to need to blend into the human world to survive. If you don't learn those two things quickly, you can consider yourself as good as dead."

Lucinda blinked, a puzzled look forming in her eyes.

"What are you saying?" she asked.

The man smiled.

"I'm saying that you won't last long the moment you leave this shop. And charming me as you have, I've decided that I will take you under my wing and train you not only how to be a grim reaper, but also how to mask your shinigami scent and live among humans."

Lucinda's eyes widened, staring at him in disbelief.

"Really?!" she exclaimed, shocked. "You...actually _mean_ it?"

The man nodded.

"Of course. It has been awhile since I've had an apprentice and it is not often I get living guests, so why not? He he he..."

It takes all of Lucinda's self-control not form tears of joy. She smiled.

"T-thank you! This means a lot to me. I promise I'll be your best apprentice that you ever had!"

The man chuckled.

"And being my first female student at that... This shall be _very_ interesting..."

His smile grew.

"Though I have yet to ask you what your name is, and after how long we've talked, it seems ill mannered of me not to have asked."

"Oh, yeah!" Lucinda replied. "My name is Lucinda. Lucinda Harrowine."

There was a small silence before the man replied.

"...What a very pretty name you have, my dear Lucy," he finally said.

Lucinda frowned. "Uh, no. It's Lucinda."

"He he he! But 'Lucy' fits you just as well, if not more."

The man's grin grew and Lucinda raised an eyebrow.

"But you just said..."

Somehow, she got the feeling that she would not be able to talk him out of it. And it would be a bad idea to try to get into an argument with the man who just offered her the chance of a lifetime. She sighed heavily.

"Whatever. And what's your name?"

"Just call me Undertaker," the man answered simply.

Lucinda, again, gave a puzzled expression.

"But...wouldn't you prefer for me to call you by name rather than your title?"

Undertaker smiled.

"My name is not important, as it has been many decades since I've been called by it. But...maybe someday I'll tell when I believe you have the right to know."

He walked over towards the hallway.

"Now, you probably will want a change of clothes after being those wet ones for so long," Undertaker said. "I don't have much, but I have gathered a few clothes from my lady guests that would do temporarily. Whenever you feel like it, I will help you buy some new ones."

Lucinda nodded.

"Okay. And again, thank you so much."


	5. Chapter 4

_Ugh, my back is killing me!_

Ronald lazily dragged in his special custom death scythe on the ground as he returned to the shinigami realm after a long night of overtime. Just by himself alone, he had reaped over seventy-five souls throughout a bunch of small towns in Great Britain, causing him to be on his feet for hours upon hours straight. A part of him had hoped that the overtime would a little less painful than what it was, so that he could spend some time with his new girlfriend, but unfortunately, it was not so. Ronald let out a heavy sigh.

_Sometimes I wished that I had the option of not being a grim reaper. And yet somehow, Lucinda still wants this job, despite her work being more manageable._

"Hey, what's the hold up?!"

Throwing Ronald out of his tired thoughts, he almost bumped into a long line of his fellow reapers, all waiting in line to get into the shinigami realm. Ronald gave a puzzled look, running a hand through his blonde and black hair.

"What's going on?" he asked to no one in particular.

"Who the hell knows," a grumpy shinigami growled. "They better have a good reason for closing the gate on us like this!"

Ronald blinked.

"'...Closed off the gate?' What do you mean by that?"

The older shinigami narrowed his eyes.

"Well, go take a look and see for yourself!"

Moving pass the large group of grim reapers, Ronald glanced over the line to get a better view as to what was going on. His eyes widened in shock, for indeed the gate between realms _was_ closed, with a bunch of the higher officials checking out all the tired, overworked reapers who were trying to get in.

Something _really_ bad must have happened for all this chaos and security to be around. Something very, very, _very_ bad.

_"Ronald Knox, report to the front of the gate immediately! Repeat, Ronald Knox, report to the front of the gate immediately!"_

Ronald blinked has he heard his name being called over an intercom. Not wasting any time, he quickly made his way through the crowd to get to the gate, dragging his overly large death scythe with him. Once he arrived, he was surprised to see one of the most well known top reaper within the shinigami community, William T. Spears. William made eye contact with Ronald.

"Mr. Knox? I am glad you were able to get here quickly," he said in a cold, monotone voice. "We have much to discuss."

"Uh...I can see that," Ronald commented. "But why would you want to see me? What exactly is going on?"

"All will be explained momentarily," William replied. "Follow me so I may ask you some questions."

Without waiting for a reply, William quickly led Ronald through the security at the gate and they went into the city. Ronald dared not question anything further, at least for the moment, for he did not want to piss off a higher official in a situation like this. Plus, he was confused as to why he, of all reapers, was called forward?

_Did my slacking off really get_ that _much attention?_

Once they were a good distance from the crowd, William turned to face Ronald and unexpectedly said, "You are a friend of Miss Lucinda Harrowine, are you not?"

Ronald blinked.

"Um...yeah, I am," he answered, sounding puzzled. "But what does that have to do with anything? Has something happen to her?"

William let out a heavy sigh, shifting up his dark rectangular glasses.

"So you have no idea. Then this makes the situation even worse..."

There was a slight pause, Ronald waiting eagerly for William to explain himself.

"...Since this concern you as much as any other higher official, I might as well let you in all of the details," William finally said. "Around midnight, the death scythe department was robbed of one of its death scythes, just like the week before. And like the one before, the culprit managed to escape."

"That would explain the security," Ronald commented. "Though I am guessing there is more to it, since there is so much more commotion then last time."

"Indeed. And unlike the first criminal, we were able to actually get a look at who this new traitor is, since one of our guards slowed them down for a split second. And according to him, that person was your good friend, Lucinda Harrowine."

Ronald's eyes widened at the mention of his friend's name, his face becoming incredibly pale.

"W-what...are you sure you are not mistaken?!" he questioned. "I mean..."

"There is no mistake," William said, cutting him off. "They were able to see her face perfectly and without flaw. Besides, there is proof of her treachery, for she has caused many problems at her job for a long while."

"Well, yeah, Lucinda is a bit of a trouble maker," Ronald argued. "But, it's just slacking off mostly, and let's be honest, who _doesn't_ slack off?"

"That doesn't excuse the issue, for she has always been reported to be...a little off from everyone else."

The way William said it was like it was a contagious decease.

Ronald wanted to come up with another counter, but he, unfortunately, couldn't. Being abnormal _was_ Lucinda, Ronald understood that, but he still found it hard to believe that she would go so far as to _steal_ a death scythe...

_Or maybe she did. After all, she has clearly stated that she desperately wanted to be a true grim reaper._

Had she finally cracked? Had Lucinda finally had enough and broke down to finally act against all odds? Ronald let out a heavy sigh.

"If you think I have anything to do with this conspiracy, I can assure you that I had no idea or heard anything from her about this," he firmly stated. "In fact, I've tried to make sure Lucinda stayed in line rather than crossed it."

"Is that so?" William asked, clearly sounding unconvinced.

Ronald nodded.

"Yeah, why would I lie to you? But listen to me when I say that Lucinda is not a threat. She would never harm the shinigami society. She wants to _help_ it, by becoming a grim reaper like us."

William's eye twitch.

"A woman becoming one of us...what a ludicrous suggestion."

Ronald narrowed his eyes.

"Well, it is true. And because of that reason is why she was driven to do what she did."

"Even so, she still has broken the law and must be found."

William turned his back on Ronald, his yellow-green eyes shining in the darkness.

"Since you are the closest person to her, I will expect you to give your full cooperation to the investigation," he said with no emotion. "Harrowine and the other culprit must be captured without delay. Do you understand, Knox?"

It took awhile for Ronald to reply.

"...I do, sir," he replied. "So is that my top priority or am I still on soul collecting duty?"

"Your duties have not changed, as of yet, but you will be asked for information when necessary," William answered. "Though you will be informed if anything is discovered and when the time comes, you will be expected to hunt down and deal with Harrowine."

Ronald glared at William's back.

"And then what, imprison her?" he questioned in a low voice. "Put her in an insane asylum? Execute her?"

There was a long silence.

"...Those details are not important right now," William said. "Goodnight, Mr. Knox."

And with that said, he walked back to the gate. Ronald watched him go, standing in the deserted streets of the city. The sun could be seen rising in the distance, making the sky turn from black to a bright red-orange. Ronald looked down at the ground as the new sunlight hurt his eyes.

_Damn it, Lucinda._ Why _couldn't you just have kept quiet?_


	6. Chapter 5

In the early evening, Undertaker sat at the front desk of his shop, writing a few things down on a piece of paper. It was paperwork regarding the funeral arrangements of one of his 'guests,' one that he had to fill out himself since the decease's family would not take the time to fill it out. Undertaker smiled to himself, as he remembered when they had brought her in, seeing her husband and parents' grieving faces. The look of despair and internal pain, the red eyes from crying and the soft voices in which they spoke in. It was clear that they were not taking the death of their beloved very well. In a way, Undertaker thought of their reactions to be very amusing, how they could not handle the passing without bursting into tears.

_Humans are such fragile creatures,_ he always thought. _They treat death as though it was a curse, a sin, and not a simple act of nature._

It was a good thing that there were grim reapers to take care of the dead as they did, for it was obvious that most humans would be lost without them. Though there were those few times, where there would be a human who would come into his shop and handle the death of their loved one quite well. And those were the humans that fascinated Undertaker, for they were never trained to just accept death like he and every other shinigami had. Forced to accept death without any question, forced to believe that there was no way to get around it.

"Hey, Undertaker."

Undertaker blinked as he heard his name being called. He glanced over his shoulder to see Lucinda stepping out of the hallway, now changed into one of the simple dresses that he had bought for her. Undertaker smiled.

"Do you have everything situated like you want it?" he asked.

Lucinda nodded.

"I do," she replied. "Thank you for giving me that big bedroom of yours. I…hope it isn't any trouble."

"It is no trouble, m'dear Lucy," Undertaker said with a smile. "I want you to be comfortable while you stay with me."

Lucinda crossed her arms.

"You are going to keep insisting on calling me 'Lucy,' aren't you?"

Undertaker's grin grew as he let out tiny laughs of amusement. Lucinda rolled her eyes and sighed.

"Anyways...so what are we going to be doing first, now that I'm your apprentice?"

Undertaker chuckled.

"My, my! Eager are we?"

He turned his attention back to the paperwork and started writing again.

"I hope I can keep this eagerness in you, since by the next couple months of intense training, you might lose some of you enthusiasm."

A curious look appeared in Lucinda's eyes.

"Is training that difficult? My friend back home always complained of it being stressful."

She walked up to the front of the desk, trying to get Undertaker to make eye contact with her.

"He he he, and right he is," Undertaker said, still keeping his eyes on his work. "Being a shinigami is no laughing matter, as you well know. It may be hard to believe, but there are strict limits placed on us men as for you women."

"I...see."

There was some doubtfulness in Lucinda's voice, sounding as if she couldn't fully picture men having the similar limitations as she did. Undertaker grinned to himself. Just by the sound of her voice, he could tell she had _no_ idea what she was getting herself into. Very naïve, she was, but it was a quality that made him like her more.

Finishing up that last few details on paperwork, Undertaker sat his pen down and looked up at Lucinda.

"But even before we get into the truly intense work, we need to make sure you can blend into human society," he explained. "Once you've got that down, I will teach you how to battle with your death scythe and how to properly collect souls, as well as to track down dying humans since we don't have the luxury of having a To Die List."

Lucinda nodded.

"Okay. And how long will each lesson take?" she asked.

Undertaker thought a bit before answering.

"Oh...that will depend on how fast you learn, really. In my past experiences with apprentices, it usually takes up half a century before they truly master the art."

Lucinda's face darkened.

"Oh... I guess I should have expected that."

Undertaker smiled.

"But that is all under normal circumstances, with tests and other qualifications from the shinigami society, m'dear. I will be teaching you in a way that I've never taught before, as I have complete freedom of what we can do and how we do it."

Lucinda's face brightened up.

"So does that mean it may take less time?"

"It might take less time, it may take more time," Undertaker answered while shrugging his shoulders. "It just depends how things work out and how well you progress."

He giggled softly.

"Just don't expect it to be over any time soon. He he he..."

Lucinda gave a thoughtful look.

"If that's what it takes. So, what are we going to work on now?"

Undertaker stared at Lucinda.

"...You mean you want to start _now_?"

Lucinda nodded.

"Of course!" she exclaimed. "The sooner the better."

Undertaker stared at her for a long moment, amazed just _how_ eager she was. But it didn't take long for his smile to return.

"He he he! If that is what you want, my dear little Lucy."

He slid his fingers together and rested his chin on top of them.

"There are two physical traits that makes us grim reapers stand out from humans," Undertaker said. "The first one is that our eyes are what humans call 'unnatural and exotic.' It is the first thing humans and our own kind notice and will be the main way for us to recognize each other in the mortal realm. As well as any other supernatural creature like demons or angels to spot us."

"Will you also teach me on how to find a demon or angel in the mortal world?" Lucinda interrupted, her eyes glowing with excitement. "Or how to fight a demon while I'm off collecting a soul?"

Undertaker chuckled.

"Patience, m'dear. One thing at a time. Now, where was I?"

He paused for a second to regain his train of thought.

"...Ah, yes! Now, to hide your eyes will be a simple matter, as long bangs or a big hat that can cover your face can easily shield them from view. But it is the second trait that we need to focus on, and that is your superhuman shinigami strength. If you are caught carrying something or withstanding things that most humans can't, then it will rise suspicion. What you need to learn is to control that strength and have the ability to hold it back or bring out fully as you please with no hesitation."

He pointed towards one of the several coffins that laid on the floor.

"I want you to pick up that coffin and hold it with all your strength," Undertaker ordered.

Lucinda said nothing in reply, as she slowly walked up to the coffin. Getting a good grip on it, she lifted it up with no problems at all.

"Now what?" Lucinda asked.

Undertaker smiled.

"Very good. Now put it back down."

Obediently, Lucinda sat it gently down, which made Undertaker happy knowing that she was treating his handmade coffin with care.

"I want you to again lift up the coffin, only this time, use less than half of your strength," Undertaker instructed. "Your goal is not to pick up the coffin with that lessened strength, but for you to control it and make it less of an effort to switch from full strength to hardly any at all."

Lucinda nodded.

"Alright. I won't rest until I can do just that!"

Undertaker laughed softly, but before he could give a reply, Lucinda already began to work. She awkwardly tried to prevent herself from picking the coffin up, however it still lifted above the ground. She would set it back down and try again, repeating the same progress and while using different methods. Undertaker watched her silently for a while, studying her progress as he got an idea of what her strengths and weaknesses were. After a few minutes, Undertaker got up.

"I'm going to make some tea us," he said with a grin. "I will be back shortly."

"Oka-God damn it!"

Lucinda's reply was cut off as she cursed in frustration, for she lifted up the coffin higher than she intended. Undertaker chuckled to himself as he made his way to the kitchen. Lost in his own thoughts, he began to make the tea.

Just by this first lesson, Undertaker could see that Lucinda was going to be a good student. She was willing to listen, willing to work, and willing to do whatever was asked of her. Her motivation was pure, and though she sounded frustrated, it seemed like that it was going to take a _lot_ to get her unmotivated. Undertaker liked that, for it made his job easier, unlike in past experiences, where he had to almost literally shout and threaten at past apprentices to get them do even the littlest of things. The only problem with Lucinda, he predicted, would be how little experience she had, and the fact that she was a wanted criminal. It would cause a lot of problems for him if Lucinda was caught with him, and his life of peace away from the shinigami community would be forever gone. And then he wouldn't be able to perform any of his... _experiments_.

With the tea now ready, Undertaker poured the hot liquid into two beakers. Once he was done, he stared at the second one for a moment.

But even with those issues, Undertaker was happy to have Lucinda stay with him. He could understand the pain she was going through, for he had been an outcast before and after he retired. Society was cruel, whether human or grim reaper, and it could lead to much suffering.

_It would be a shame for a young, clearly strong woman like herself to be broken by society's thick chains._

"Ah ha, I did it!"

Hearing Lucinda's voice broke Undertaker out of his thoughts. Picking up the two beakers, he quickly went back to his parlor to see Lucinda sitting on the floor, panting heavily. Undertaker gave a concerned look, but he could clearly see a large smile on her face. She glanced over at Undertaker's direction, now noticing he was there.

"...I think I've got it down!" Lucinda exclaimed in triumph. "I think I got my strength down. Watch."

Standing up, Lucinda put her legs on both sides of the coffin, her back hunched over with her hair completely in her face, and tried to lift it up, using minimum strength. She was like that a few seconds until she let go of the unflinching coffin and looked up at Undertaker. Undertaker's mouth twitched as he tried not to lose it, quickly setting the beakers of tea on the desk. He finally burst into a fit of laughter, in which Lucinda's proud look vanished away. Her face paled, as she now sat on top of the coffin.

"Uh...Undertaker?"

It took a few minutes for Undertaker to get in full control of himself.

" _He he he_! I'm sorry, m'dear, but that position you were in was just hysterical!"

He took in a couple breaths of air to calm down before he approached Lucinda.

"You're just barely scratching the surface of how many limits you have to put on yourself," he explained. "You got the idea, but you are going to need more practice and more effective tactics."

He smiled.

"But you are off to a good start."

Lucinda smiled back. Going back to the tea, he handed one of the beakers to Lucinda and he sat next to her. Lucinda gave a puzzled look as she noticed what her tea was in.

"...You are _definitely_ the strangest person I have ever met."

She took a small sip of her tea and met Undertaker's gaze, or at least the best she could since she couldn't see them.

"But it is a strangeness I like. At least you have a sense of humor, unlike everyone I know back home."

She paused for a second.

"...And kind, but not in a fake or forced way."

Undertaker smiled.

"You're right. Most of the members of our species can't take a joke to save their lives. We take things way too seriously at times."

He moved his gaze to the distant wall.

"...Though calling me 'kind' may be going a bit too far."

Lucinda raised an eyebrow.

"Are you kidding?" she questioned. "How many our people would literally take me in, a fugitive? I don't think I would have done it myself if I was in your position..."

Undertaker smiled to himself.

"You have such faith in me even though we just met. Are you often this trusting?"

Lucinda's cheeks turned a slight red, as she avoided eye contact.

"...Not really, as I've never been really relaxed around most people," she answered. "I always feel that I can't be myself without being judged. But you are different, and I guess I just feel very comfortable around you..."

It was clear that she was embarrassed. Undertaker laughed softly in reply.

Yes...this _was_ an apprentice worth having.


	7. Chapter 6

Lucinda let out a heavy sigh as she walked into the parlor, carrying with her large sacks of groceries. She had been out shopping, for not only to get a resupply of food, but to also test her ability to interact and blend in with the humans.

A whole month has passed since Lucinda had first came to the human realm, and already, she has learned so many things...in which involved making her life inconvenient. All she had been learning from Undertaker was how to act more human like, controlling her inhuman strength and disguising her grim reaper traits, which included her wearing a large hat whenever she went out. Through the many weeks, Lucinda had found that she had to prevent herself from doing the simplest of things with normal weight, speed, and strength, and she had to always caution herself on how much of those attributes she would use. It was a real pain, but according to Undertaker, she was coming along real well.

_I just hope that we can get to the good stuff soon..._

Though she never said it out loud, she wasn't really that impressed with Undertaker's teaching methods. All he would do was tell her what he wanted her to practice, and then disappear for most of the day while coming out once and while to see how she was doing and maybe bring her some tea. Though she knew he was probably be busy with his mortician work, Lucinda thought it would be a little nice if he was more engaging with her training.

Lucinda grunted, taking off her big black hat and setting it down on Undertaker's front desk as she carried the sacks to the small kitchen. When she sat them down on the small wooden table, she began putting newly bought items away.

But even with training being a little dull, she couldn't say that she didn't like being here. Undertaker, when he did show himself, was easy to get along with, in fact, he was the first person that Lucinda found that she could actually _relate_ to. Just by living with him for only a month, she could tell that he wasn't the most social of people and was a little bit lonely. It was easy to tell from the way his voice sounded when he talked to her, his posture and how he responded to her. He always seemed to be really happy when Lucinda was around, which made her happy to feel appreciated.

_Perhaps me coming here was good for him as it was for me._

After she finished putting all the groceries away, along with throwing away the sacks, Lucinda stepped out of the kitchen.

"Hey Undertaker, I'm back!" she called out. "Undertaker, are you home?"

No answer came back. Lucinda blinked, wondering where Undertaker could be.

_Maybe he is in the back working on one of his...'guests,' as he likes to call them?_

It was clearly possible, for Undertaker had been extremely busy lately. Lucinda's eyes moved across the dark hallway, staring at the door that laid between her bedroom and the bathroom. It was the locked door to Undertaker's workroom, where he would take his 'guests' and prepare them for their funeral. It was the only room that Lucinda was never allowed to go into, for Undertaker had said that there were many gruesome corpses, especially of late, and many other things that he did not want her to see. Though Lucinda never questioned his order, at least verbally, she could not help but feel drawn to that room. What would be in there for Undertaker to want to keep her from seeing, why was it always locked all the time whether if he was working or not?

Why would she, in the middle of the night, hear strange animal like noises coming from the other side?

Suddenly, she heard a clicking sound coming from the workroom door, making Lucinda come out of her thoughts. The door opened to reveal Undertaker, who gave a slight surprised look when he saw Lucinda standing there. But it quickly turned into a friendly smile as he said, "Ah, you are back, Lucy. How did your little errand go?"

Lucinda smiled.

"It went well. I got everything on the list and I was able to blend in effectively."

She paused.

"...Though, are there any other errands you want me to do? Any other training exercises you need me to get done today that involve me going out?"

Undertaker snickered a bit.

"He he he! Is that all you ever think about, training?"

He moved past Lucinda and headed towards the kitchen.

"There are so many things to do in the mortal world, I would have thought by now you would have cracked and tried to explore it a bit more, other than those few times I've sent you out," Undertaker continued. "Are you not a little more curious to see how humans live now that you are among them?"

Lucinda followed him to the kitchen, where Undertaker grabbed himself a jar full of bone shaped biscuits and began to snack on them. Lucinda leaned against the doorway.

"I would rather learn how to become a grim reaper then just fool around with humans," Lucinda replied. "I would gain nothing from trying to be around them, other than getting first hands on experience with them."

"And would that not be valuable information?" Undertaker questioned with a smirk. "Would not learning more about the animals, whose souls you are going to be hunting, not benefit you in the future?"

"Well, of course, but first I need to know _how_ to hunt, don't I?"

Undertaker chuckled, taking a bite out of one of the biscuits.

"Ah, so single-minded..."

His voice grew distant, as he lost himself in his own thoughts. Lucinda waited for Undertaker to finish his thought, but when he didn't, Lucinda decided to change the subject.

"So, why were you in the workroom for so long? Got a tough guest that you need to fix?"

"You could say that," Undertaker said. "She was one of a few I had for a little while and just now got to working on her."

Lucinda raised an eyebrow. "What took so long?"

Undertaker grinned.

"Well...she was one part of many victims of a serial killer that is now plaguing London as we speak, all who which I have the job of preparing their funerals."

Lucinda's eyes glowed with interest.

"A serial killer, you say?"

Undertaker nodded.

"Yes. The woman I was working on was named Miss Mary Ann Nichols, a prostitute who was gruesomely murdered, along with many other prostitutes that I've worked on. They were all killed by one lone, very dangerous killer. One that the Scotland Yard has yet to capture or get anywhere close to it..."

Curiosity glowed on Lucinda's face.

"Fascinating...does this killer have a name?" she asked. "How does he kill these women and what kind of weapon does he use?"

Undertaker gave an emotionless smile, and though she couldn't see his eyes, Lucinda could feel them gazing into her.

"He has been hunting down prostitutes within the Whitechapel area and killing them in the most unimaginable of ways. Each of the women's corpses have been stabbed and cut apart almost to the point of being unrecognizable to be human, all of them having a very important organ of theirs taken out of their bodies. With these savaged, blood soaked killings, the yard has simply dubbed the killer as 'Jack the Ripper.'"

As he spoke, Undertaker's grin gained a slight sinister look to it, as his voice growing softer with every word. Undertaker then slowly made his way towards Lucinda, his unseen eyes never leaving hers.

"You are curious about this human killer, aren't you?" Undertaker asked softly. "You want to try to reap the soul of this very dark, _twisted_ being that would be no doubt be difficult to capture?"

Lucinda blinked, feeling slightly uncomfortable how close Undertaker was to her.

"Well," she replied, "he _would_ be a worthy catch to try out..."

Undertaker's smile grew as he delicately put his long black fingernail under Lucinda's chin, making sure her eyes never left him.

"You must _never_ get in over your head when it comes to soul reaping," he whispered with a malevolent tone of voice. "One wrong move or getting yourself overwhelmed can lead to deadly consequences. Do not try to reap Jack the Ripper's soul, unless you don't mind ending your apprenticeship with me early. Do you understand?"

Lucinda's eyes widened, her breathing coming to a halt. But before either she or Undertaker could make another move, they could faintly hear the sound of the front door being pulled open.

"Are you in, Undertaker?" the sound of a young boy's voice asked.

Undertaker suddenly tensed up. He quickly moved away from Lucinda and went out into the hallway.

"Stay here," Undertaker ordered. "Do not allow yourself to be seen."

Lucinda blinked. "Huh? Why?"

But Undertaker did not wait to give her a reply as he quickly walked into the parlor to greet whoever came in. Lucinda stood where she was, as she could hear Undertaker's voice, along with some other voices that she did not recognize. They did not sound like the few, ordinary humans that have come in to require Undertaker's services, and even if they were, why would he want to hide her from them?

_Could they be...possibly grim reapers trying to find me?_

That thought made Lucinda's heart skip a beat. If that was the possibility, she should probably lock herself in the bathroom or her bedroom until they were gone. But...what if they weren't grim reapers, since one of the voices obviously sounded like a young boy's? In the end, curiosity won her over as Lucinda cautiously made her way to the doorway of the parlor. Once she got close enough, Lucinda barely stuck her head out in order to see what was going on.

Sitting behind his desk, she could see that Undertaker was talking to a small group of people, who were all sitting on top of the coffins. The small group contained of five people, one a twelve year old aristocratic boy with an eye patch covering his left eye and dark hair, a Chinese man wearing blue robes, and a woman all dressed in red. Two butlers stood behind them, one having long, dark brown hair tied in a ponytail with a red bow, the other a handsome man with hair as black as a raven's wing that framed around his face perfectly. Lucinda sensed something strange about the two butlers, for unlike the aristocrats, there was something odd about them that made her feel uneasy, though she was too far away to get to see them in better detail.

"So you are saying that all the prostitutes that were killed all had something in common?" the young boy was saying. "And what exactly was that thing, Undertaker?"

Undertaker gave a small chuckle, and Lucinda could no doubt picture him having a large grin on his face.

"He he he! What could it be, what could it be... Wouldn't you like to know, milord?"

The boy gave a slight irritated look, while the Chinese man gave a small smirk.

"Ah, I see where you are getting at."

He stood up.

"How much would you want for the information?"

At the sound of that, Undertaker suddenly got up from his chair and quickly moved up towards the Chinese man, staring him down face to face.

"'How much?'" Undertaker repeated in a high-pitched voice. "I do not desire one of the Queen's coins!"

The Chinese man's face paled dramatically, along with the woman in red and the butler with the ponytail. Slowly, Undertaker turned his attention towards the boy, moving right in front of him like he did the Chinese man only seconds ago.

"Now, milord...give _it_ to me!" Undertaker exclaimed. "Bestow upon me the choicest of laughter! Do that for me and I shall tell you _anything_!"

He began to giggle like a small child, making the actual child groan with disgust.

"What a creep you are," the boy said as he backed away from the Undertaker, the raven-haired butler seeming too speechless for words.

While watching the whole thing, Lucinda put her hand over her mouth to keep herself from laughing. Thankfully, she was not overheard, as the Chinese man once again walked up to Undertaker.

"Allow me to handle this, my lord," he said with pure confidence. "People have called me the sleeping tiger of New Year parties in Shang-Hai! And now...I shall demonstrate it in full!"

He cleared his throat.

"A fool on the futon."

There was a long silence, Undertaker not giving any reaction. The others just gave the Chinese man confused looks, including Lucinda.

_Do all humans have strange senses of humor?_

Eventually, the woman in red let out a heavy sigh.

"Lau, that would never do," she said, standing up. "Allow me to take it from here."

The Chinese man, Lau, nodded his head and the woman took his place before Undertaker. The woman cleared her throat, and as she spoke, got into a dramatic pose.

"Madam Red, star of social circles shall share with you her best tale!"

In the background, the butler with the ponytail stood in the back, shaking like he was afraid that Madam Red was going to be struck by lightning.

" _Madam_...!" he whimpered.

Undertaker gave Madam Red his full attention, in which she began to describe the most over the top, perverted, long-winded of stories. As she talked, her butler's face grew red with embarrassment, Lau having a large smile slithering across his lips, and the raven-haired butler plugging in the ears of the young boy to shield his innocence. Lucinda could feel her face grow hot, a part of her feeling slightly turned on by that story, though she failed to see the humor behind it. After all, sexual discussion was not regarded lightly in the shinigami community.

The only one who seemed unaffected by Madam Red's story, by the time she was done, was Undertaker, in which he completely ignored her and moved his attention back onto the young boy. Putting his hands together, a large smile appeared across his face.

"That only leaves you, milord," he said. "And last time, I do believe I was a bit generous... Do not expect any specials this time."

The young lord groaned, his butler beside him giving a heavy sigh.

"I'll take care of this, my lord," the butler said. "But in order to do so, I need everyone to step outside please."

The young boy blinked. "Sebastian...?"

"Oh? The master butler is giving it a go?" Undertaker said with a hint of amusement. "This shall be most interesting...he he he!"

Sebastian narrowed his eyes.

"Everyone, please."

With a sudden tension rising in the air, the young aristocrat, Lau, Madam Red, and her butler all one by one left the shop. Once the door was shut, Lucinda kept her eye on Sebastian as he stepped closer to Undertaker. As he did, Lucinda noticed something very strange about his eyes, for one moment they were a very deep, dark brown color and the next...

Lucinda's eyes widened, for she had no doubt that Sebastian's eyes changed into the blood-red, slit pupil, glowing eyes of a heartless demon.

And he was standing right in front of Undertaker!

Instinctively, Lucinda wanted to go grab her death scythe from her room and slay the demon right then and there, but the only thing that kept her at bay was that if she made the wrong move, Undertaker could get hurt. She clutched on tightly to the doorway, as if it was the only barrier between her and the demon.

_Why...why would Undertaker just allow a demon to approach him like that?!_

In the midst of her anger, fear, and her battle between instinctively attacking and holding back, Sebastian whispered into Undertaker's ear. Whatever he said, Lucinda could not tell, got Undertaker into a huge fit of uncontrollable laughter. Giving a twisted smile of satisfaction, Sebastian called the others back in, as they were completely shocked to see Undertaker lying on the floor, gasping desperately for breath. Lucinda growled, for she had no doubt Sebastian used some of his demotic charm to make him laugh that hard.

Once Undertaker finally calmed down again, he began to tell the young aristocrat and his associates what they wanted to know, which apparently, was information on the serial killer Undertaker was telling Lucinda about only moments ago. And though Lucinda was curious about Jack the Ripper, she barely paid any attention to the conversation as she kept her eyes locked on Sebastian. She watched every small movement he made, every expression in his face. If the demon was going to do something, she would be ready for it.

But to her surprise, the demon butler did nothing but just stand beside his master, the young boy, saying nothing but listening to Undertaker's words carefully. He didn't even react to when Undertaker approached the boy and started to make subtle threats, the demon's eyes being as cold and emotionless as a soulless human corpse.

Eventually, the boy thanked Undertaker for his information and left the shop, Sebastian and the others not far behind him. Once they were gone, Lucinda immediately got out of her hiding place and approached Undertaker.

"Why did you let that demon in here like that?!" she exclaimed, unable to keep the intense emotion she felt under control. "How could you let a demon, a long hated enemy of the shinigami, manipulate you like that!?"

Undertaker couldn't help but snicker at Lucinda's response, which made her rage and fury grow even more.

"You think it is funny?!" Lucinda snapped. "You think it is _funny_ to allow such disgusting creature walk around free in the presence of two grim reapers!"

"And just what could I have done?" Undertaker questioned before Lucinda could rant more. "A shinigami's duty is to collect the souls of humans, not slay demons."

Lucinda clutched her fists.

"Yes, but you still could have done something! I mean...it sounded like you _knew_ that demon and his human prey for a long time!"

"And I do," Undertaker replied calmly. "I have worked with young Ciel Phantomhive's family for generations. They are the 'great' Queen Victoria's watchdogs, and I sometimes provide them information regarding things about the underworld or cases like this one with Jack the Ripper."

Lucinda narrowed her eyes.

"And yet that doesn't give you the excuse to work with a demon."

Undertaker gave a small smile.

"I wouldn't judge Sebastian Michaelis too harshly, m'dear. Out of all the demons I've seen, he is the most civilized among his kind. You will never meet another good demon like him ever again, so I suggest not to get on his bad side."

He paused for a short moment.

"And even if he weren't, I would not recommend getting into a fight with a demon if you don't have to. Demons are by far the hardest and most dangerous creatures you will ever meet, and to anger one would be foolish. And like reaping Jack the Ripper's soul, you are not ready for such a task."

Lucinda said nothing in reply, her eyes trying to meet Undertaker's underneath his bangs.

Deep down, Lucinda knew that he was right, and to go after this demon would ultimately bring her death. But there was no way she could just sit back and allow him to roam free, especially when he was stalking the soul of a young child.

_Maybe engaging him in a fight would not be the best of ideas...but would_ learning _his weaknesses be just as bad?_

"...Lucy?"

Lucinda blinked as she realized that she had dozed off. She could see a concerned look on Undertaker's face, in which she gave a simple smile.

"Sorry about that. Just a hard thing for me to let go..."

Reaching out and grabbing her hat that she had sat down earlier, Lucinda put it on and walked over towards the door.

"You know...I think I'll take your advice and take a break from training today," Lucinda said over her shoulder. "I'll be back later this afternoon."

And without waiting for a reply, she shut the door behind her.


	8. Chapter 7

Hoping to catch a glimpse of which way Ciel Phantomhive and his associates went, Lucinda glanced around both directions outside the shop, hoping that something would catch her eye. Unfortunately, the earl was nowhere in sight, and so was his demonic butler.

Lucinda cursed to herself, but she knew that they couldn't have gotten too far. After all, if they were looking for Jack the Ripper, they were bound to stay in London, and Phantomhive being an aristocrat, he was probably staying in one of the larger, more expensive houses. That was a place to start looking, but there was only one problem.

_I have no idea where any aristocrats would live._

Lucinda sighed heavily. She _really_ hated to do it, but she was going to have to seek help from the humans. To seek help from the lowest of the low...and did it feel humiliating. Choosing a person by random, Lucinda approached an older woman with fine clothes and a cane.

"Um...excuse me," Lucinda said, trying to sound a polite as possible. "But could you tell me where the Phantomhives live?"

The woman looked up at her.

"Phantomhive you say? I'm afraid I'm not familiar with that name."

She gave a friendly smile.

"I'm sorry, but I can't help you."

And then she walked away. Lucinda watched her go, clutching her fists tightly, feeling even more embarrassed, if that was even possible.

_Screw the humans! I'll find it myself!_

Picking a direction, Lucinda began to wander the busy city streets, hoping to find some signs of upper class homes. Studying the buildings as she walked, she could start to see some better quality to their structure, with better, nicer looking stone and finer wood. But all these buildings were shops, and not a single house was in sight, which was causing Lucinda to get even more frustrated.

"Pardon me, miss, but do you need some help?"

Lucinda froze, quickly turning around to see a middle class man with short brown hair behind her, giving her a concerned look. Lucinda avoided eye contact.

"I'm fine," she said. "I'm just...looking for someone."

The man blinked.

"And who would that be?" he asked. "Do you need any help?"

Lucinda crossed her arms and sighed.

_God damn it, this is humiliating!_

"...I'm looking for an aristocrat named Phantomhive," she explained softly. "Do you have an idea where I could find his house or something?"

The man paused for a moment, in which Lucinda thought he was going to blow her off like the last one did. But, to her surprise, he actually seemed to know who she was talking about.

"Oh yeah, Phantomhive! Isn't he the one who is in charge of that Funtom toy company?"

"Um..."

Lucinda hesitated for a reply.

"...I guess."

"Well, I don't know where his townhouse is specifically," the man said. "But I have an idea of where it could be, if that helps you at all."

Lucinda nodded.

"It would indeed. So, where do I need to go?"

"Well, actually you are not too far from the way," the man said. "Just keeping going straight until you start seeing some neighborhoods, and from there keeping going straight until you start seeing the mansions and all that fancy stuff."

Lucinda smiled.

"Ah, I see. Well, thank you for your help."

She began to walk away, until suddenly, the man grabbed her by the arm. Alarmed, Lucinda turned to face him.

"Wait...perhaps I can go with you?" the man asked with a small smile. "I mean, I'm heading that way anyway, so why don't we go together?"

Lucinda shook her head.

"No thank you. I prefer to go alone."

She shook the man's grip and went on her way again. But the man was more persistent than she thought, for he grabbed her by the arm again and pulled her close to him.

"Okay, I won't go with you, but can I please have your name?" the man asked pleadingly. "I would really like to get to know you better."

"Why?"

Lucinda pushed him off of her, using a bit more strength then she intended to, as she sent the man back a few extra steps. She glared at him.

"Look, I am in a bit of a hurry, so please, leave me alone!"

_And if you don't, I won't hesitate to reap your soul!_

Lucinda turned around for the third time and tried to leave, but once again, the man behind her was desperately trying to get her attention.

"Wait, please I beg you! My lady, ple-"

Suddenly, his words were cut off.

Glancing behind her, Lucinda saw the man was gone, like he had vanished into thin air. Her eyes widened, wondering what could have happened to get him to disappear like that. But, whatever happened to the man was the least of her problems, for she had to find Sebastian.

* * *

By taking the man's advise, Lucinda eventually found herself at the part of town where most of the aristocrats lived. And just by her luck, a carriage was stopping at one of the distantly spread houses, in which she recognized the driver to be Madam Red's butler.

Making sure she kept a fair distance, Lucinda watched as Madam Red's butler let Madam Red, Lau, and Phantomhive out of the carriage. But to her shock, Sebastian was nowhere to be seen. Her mind raced with questions, wondering if the young earl had let his demon lose on the town. Her heart started to race, but as she watched the earl and the others approach the door, Sebastian was there to greet them. Lau, Madam Red, and her butler all gave surprised reactions, while the earl remained calm. Lucinda moved as close as she could to the barred gate, where she could hear whatever was going on.

"Wait...are you telling me that you already have a list of suspects who could be Jack the Ripper?!" Madam Red exclaimed bewildered.

"I have, madam, and by going through all the characteristics we discussed, I've not only came up with a list of suspects," Sebastian explained, great pride coming from his voice. "I also paid that each individual a visit and asked them all the appropriate questions."

There was a long silence, but at the end, Lucinda could hear Madam Red give off a small laugh.

"Come now, Sebastian," she said, probably smirking as she did. "That is impossible for you to do all that, even for-"

She was cut off as Sebastian started to list off a bunch of subjects, why they were subjects, and his account on whether or not they were innocent or not. Though the humans were all probably blown out of their minds, Lucinda couldn't help but sneer at the pure arrogance Sebastian had as he spoke.

_'M_ _ost civilized among his kind.' That's a real laugh!_

"...So with this list, I have come to the conclusion that only one of these suspects could be the killer," Sebastian finally finished after the long list of names, "and that would be the Viscount of Druitt, one sir Aleistor Chambers."

"The Viscount of Druitt?" Madam Red repeated. "You mean the one who has been having all those season parties at his manor?"

Sebastian nodded.

"Indeed, madam. And he is having another one tonight, in which we have to come up..."

Sebastian cut himself off as he looked over Lau's shoulder, where he was gazing straight at Lucinda. Eyes widening, Lucinda used her hat to hide her eyes and quickly walked away. She did not dare look back until she was sure she was a good distance from the townhouse, and when she did finally stopped to catch her breath, the Phantomhive butler was nowhere in sight. Lucinda let out a heavy sigh.

So, this viscount was the man responsible for all the killings? Why would a rich man such as a viscount take the time to murder whores when it could ruin his reputation? A spark of curiosity started to catch fire in Lucinda, for not only could she learn more about the demon, but also the serial killer himself.

_But if the demon is going after Jack the Ripper...would this also mean he will try to devour his soul?_

Lucinda narrowed her eyes. No, she could not allow for that to happen, she couldn't let a soul just as Jack the Ripper's to fall into the hands of a demon! Even though Undertaker had warned her not to do it, and even though she had no experience in soul reaping, she could not afford to wait and let the demon possibly take away her soon to be greatest achievement!

_If this Viscount of Druitt is going to have a party, and if this demon is planning on sneaking in, then so am I._


	9. Chapter 8

Later that night, Lucinda got herself ready for the viscount's party, hoping that the outfit she chose would help her stand out, while at the same time, let her fit in.

For the rest of the day, she had been out on the town getting information about the Viscount of Druitt, what his parties were like and what she would have to expect. Unlike when she was asking for help to find Earl Phantomhive, she barely had to ask anyone about the viscount, as she overheard many aristocratic women talking about him. It made Lucinda's job easier, for all she really had to do was listen to their conversations and it gave her an idea of what the viscount was like. From what she gathered, the Viscount of Druitt was a romantic and a lover of all the finer things in life from money, to food, to women. His parties were of the highest quality and were always elegant, everyone dressed their best and only the richest could attend.

So, to sum up, the viscount was an aristocratic snob and these parties were a way to show off one's social class.

In all actuality, it didn't seem that different to Lucinda from the few shinigami parties she had attended with Ronald, which was all about snobocracy and for the men to show off their strength and achievements in soul reaping. Lucinda thought it was really pathetic how some of the reapers were all desperate to get all of the attention, bragging on reaping the toughest of souls when in reality they never had done their job properly; making her even angrier on how shallow some of the women were to believe in their tall tales. The only thing that saved her from pure boredom and aggravation was that she, Ronald, and whoever was his girlfriend at the time, would just hang out and mock how attention grabbing and snobbish the everyone was.

_Ronald would probably be feeling the same way about this human party too, and would have fun making a mockery of it._

Lucinda gave a small frown, as she had no doubt by now Ronald knew she was gone. A part of her wondered how he was doing, how was life like now that he didn't have her to keep an eye on? Ronald had always looked after her and been there for her, even though it would be seem like he would be the last person who would.

_If only he could see where I am now, how close I am to making my dream becoming real!_

Since her bedroom did not contain a mirror for her to study herself, Lucinda had to wing it and hope that she looked alright. Looking down at her aristocratic dress that she had...well, stolen from a shop, she studied it to make sure everything was in place. The dress was dark green, with a long black gloves and a large black bow tied in the back...and a very revealing neckline that made Lucinda very uncomfortable, though compared to most of the other dresses, it was one of the more modest. It was very long and flowing, black trimmings at the edge of the skirt, and with her hair down to make sure her eyes are partly hidden. She could appear to be one of the higher aristocrats.

_Now the only thing I need to do is figure out is how I'm going to bring my death scythe._

Lucinda stared at her death scythe that sat against the wall in the corner, it having a nicely polished, deadly sharp blade ready to claim its first soul. And maybe even slay its first demon. Lucinda walked over to her scythe and picked up, studying it carefully.

She knew that grim reapers had certain spells cast on their overly large death scythes in order to make carrying them easier and more convenient. From what Ronald told her in the past, a reaper and his death scythe always share a close bond, and through a single thought, the shinigami's scythe will respond to the will of its true owner. But since Lucinda had stolen her death scythe, she had no idea if she was truly its owner or would it respond to her will, with the fact that she had only used once since she got it.

With her heart pounding in her chest, Lucinda clutched on tightly to her scythe and closed her eyes.

"...I want you to turn into something to fit in with my disguise," she whispered softly.

At first, Lucinda could not feel anything happening. But then slowly, she could sense a strong power coming from inside her, feeling within her hands her death scythe changing its shape. Lucinda opened her eyes, and in her hands, she saw that her death scythe had transformed into an aristocratic fan, one that matched her dress perfectly. She smiled, hugging her hidden scythe close to her.

Now she was ready.

* * *

After using her superhuman speed, Lucinda arrived hidden by the side of the viscount's manor, watching as aristocrats slowly come out of their carriages and elegantly make their way inside the mansion. Most of the guests arrived in as couples or groups, rarely anyone coming in on their own. Lucinda blinked, know that it was going to be almost impossible to get in through the main entrance. She would have to find a back entrance, and hopefully sneak her way into the party without being noticed. With a large shadow casting over her, she walked along the side of the mansion until she saw a small side entrance, probably used for the servants. Lucinda smiled and quickly approached it, taking a hold of the doorknob to find that was, thankfully, unlock.

_You think the rich viscount would have the brains to lock the side doors so no unwanted guests could come in._

Amused by that ignorance of humans, Lucinda went inside to find that she was in a pitch black room, though there was a very bright light coming from the hallway. Clutching onto her fan tightly, she followed the light until she eventually found herself at the party, where the house was crowded with hundreds of aristocratic guests. Men and women, all dressed in elegant silks, moved around the large ballroom, with many groups of people chatting, eating and drinking wine, or dancing to the ballroom music.

Already, Lucinda felt extremely claustrophobic and unsure of herself, since she had never been in a room with so many people. The shinigami realm was always low on the population, giving it various wide opened spaces, and though Undertaker's shop/home was very small, there was still enough room for her to move around. This...Lucinda was afraid that whichever step she took, she would run into someone.

_But it does not matter, for I have to get to the demon before he gets my first reaped soul!_

Forcing herself to keeping moving and not have her mind dwell on the crowds, Lucinda narrowed her eyes as she tried to find a sign of Sebastian, or even the viscount himself. But with all the closed in people, along with the bright lights hurting Lucinda's eyes, it made it very difficult to focus on anything.

_And do all these humans have to talk so damn loudly?!_

"Oh wow, your dress is _so_ cute!"

Lucinda blinked, as she turned to see a young girl with large blonde pigtails gazing up at her with admiring emerald eyes.

"Your dress is beautiful!" the girl exclaimed with a squeak of delight. "You look really cute in it!"

"Uh...thank you," Lucinda replied.

The girl smiled.

"You're welcome! Though I don't think I've ever seen you before at one of these fancy parties my parents take me to. I would definitely remember seeing someone as lovely as you!"

Lucinda's grip on her fan tightened with anxiety.

"Well...you could say this is my first one," she said, saying what ever came to her head first.

The girl giggled. "I can see that!"

She did a small curtsy.

"My name is Elizabeth Milford. What's your name?"

Lucinda gave a small smile.

"I am Lucinda. A pleasure to meet you."

Elizabeth smiled.

"Glad to have met you. I hope you enjoy the rest of your first party, Lucinda!"

With a cheerful look in her eye, Elizabeth went off to admire the other brilliant dresses.

_What a kind girl,_ Lucinda thought, watching her go. _Perhaps there are a few decent humans that are not all snobs or irritating imbeciles._

"He he he! Human children can be quite amusing, can't they?"

Lucinda froze as a giggling voice rang in her ears.

Slowly moving her gaze to her right, she saw Undertaker, dressed in a pure black suit with his hair tied back, though bangs still in his face, approaching her. Lucinda's face paled dramatically and Undertaker chuckled.

"Human children are the most innocent creatures you will ever meet in the mortal realm," he said with a large smile. "They can bring so much joy to a person, and it is always a sad thing when you have to reap a soul of a child, making them if not the most difficult souls to willingly reap."

Lucinda just stood there, completely speechless, making Undertaker seem more amused at her frozen expression. At that moment, a new song began to play for the dancing couples. With a slight crooked smile on his face, Undertaker offered his hand to Lucinda.

"Since we are here, we might as well enjoy ourselves with a dance," he said cheerfully. "May I?"

Lucinda's eyes widened.

"Uh...well, I..."

Though she didn't really have a choice of answering, for Undertaker had already took a hold of her hand that held her fan and gently guided her to the dance floor. They then began to dance a waltz, where Lucinda's heart was pounding in her chest as she tried to keep from stepping on Undertaker's feet. For awhile, they danced in silence, Undertaker smiling at her as Lucinda tried to figure out what he was up to. He _had_ to know what she was doing!

_But why offer me to dance with him? Is he trying to confuse me?_

"You hid your death scythe very effectively, Lucy," Undertaker suddenly commented. "For a first timer, you were able to disguise it almost perfectly as a fan."

"I, uh..."

Lucinda had to keep her attention divided between her answering Undertaker and making sure she kept up with the waltz.

"...I tried my best... Didn't think it would work for me at first, since I didn't technically own the death scythe..."

Undertaker chuckled.

"And yet you still claimed it, whether or not it was given to you by the reaper society or not. You chose it, so it _is_ yours."

As they danced towards the edge of the dance area, many of the surrounding couples gave Undertaker and Lucinda strange looks. Normally, Lucinda would have made a snappish comment about how they should mind their own business and stop staring at her, but she was too focused on Undertaker to really take notice or care.

"Why are you dancing with me?" she finally asked, her eyes never leaving Undertaker. "Shouldn't you be mad at me and telling me I am a fool for going after the demon?"

Undertaker chuckled softly.

"It is true you disobeyed me and went after a monster that you clearly could not stand a chance against."

A kind smile appeared on his face.

"But you also took a big risk and carried yourself through your decision. You proven to me that you can operate on your own and can blend into the mortal realm to carry out your job effectively. Even if you are a bit over your head."

He giggled a softly. Lucinda blinked, surprised to hear such praise for her speaking out her mind. Soon enough, the song ended and Undertaker lead Lucinda off the dance floor.

"That was a wonderful dance, m'dear," Undertaker said. "It has been so long since I was able to dance at a party like this, especially with a beautiful woman such as yourself."

Lucinda's face turned red.

" _Right_..."

She paused for a short moment.

"So...I guess you won't allow me to continue with my plan, will you?"

Undertaker's smile grew and Lucinda let out a heavy sigh.

"Thought so... But _when_ will I get to start reaping souls?"

Undertaker put his arm around her and pulled her close to him.

"Very soon, m'dear. Since you proven to me that you can potentially survive in the human realm, we can now start focusing on actual soul reaping."

Lucinda's eyes brightened up.

"Really?!"

"Yes," Undertaker answered with a nod. "I will begin teaching you how to hunt for human souls and give you certain tips to help in future combat, tips that I couldn't give you if we were still in the shinigami realm."

"If we were back home, I wouldn't even _be_ your apprentice," Lucinda commented.

Undertaker laughed.

"Indeed you wouldn't. And a shame that would be."

With Lucinda distracted, Undertaker began to lead her away from the party. And as they left, Undertaker kept quickly glancing back at the other side of the room, where Sebastian was dancing a cross-dressing Ciel Phantomhive, along with Madam Red's butler with his shinigami yellow-green eyes on anything but them.


	10. Chapter 9

"Hey, Undertaker, can I ask you something?"

Undertaker looked up from the newspaper he was reading to see Lucinda coming into the kitchen. Undertaker smiled.

"You're up early, m'dear. Ready to start training, I assume?"

"Well...yes, of course I'm always ready to train," Lucinda replied, moving her fingers through the ends of her ponytail, "though I wanted to ask you some things before we got to training..."

Undertaker sat the newspaper down on the table.

" _Really_? Dear little Lucy has other things besides training on her mind? This, might I say, is a great shock!"

He gave a small laugh, causing Lucinda's face to grow bright red. She glared at him.

"S-shut up! All you think about is working on your 'guests!' That's no different from me!"

Undertaker snickered.

"He he he! You don't need to get so defensive. I was just teasing you."

"Like I couldn't tell."

Lucinda sat down in the chair across from Undertaker. She sighed.

"Look...remembered when I told you my hero was Adrian Crevan and you said that you knew him?"

Undertaker's smile grew. "How could I forget? I almost died of laughter!"

He giggled softly but Lucinda ignored it.

"Well...I was wondering..."

She hesitated.

"...Could you, by chance, get me to meet him? I mean, when I'm done being your apprentice and all?"

Undertaker's smile faded away. There was a short silence, Undertaker's eyes drifting to the ground, as if he was trying to avoid eye contact even though Lucinda couldn't see his eyes.

"...I _suppose_ I could arrange a meeting with him... It is true that he doesn't get that many visitors, especially from his own kind... However, I have one question for you."

Undertaker put his hands together and rested his chin on top of them, locking his eyes on Lucinda.

"What are your reasons for wanting to meet him and what will you do once you see him?"

Lucinda blinked, looking surprised by Undertaker's question.

"Well...I'm not exactly sure what you mean," she answered sincerely, "but my main reason to meet him is because I've admired him for a long time. He is a great shinigami who has done so many things, things that most grim reapers only _dream_ about! I could learn a lot from him, and I...also want to thank him."

Undertaker gave a curious expression.

"Thank him for what, m'dear?"

Lucinda's cheeks turned red as she avoided eye contact with Undertaker.

"It is really because of him I've gotten this far," she confessed softly. "He was the one who gave me inspiration to become a grim reaper. He is strong, he is respected, he isn't afraid of anything... He is everything I wanted to be!"

Her eyes grew dark.

"Unfortunately, the thing I wanted to be was not the thing everyone else wanted... And this may sound a bit immature of me...but it would be nice to have my hero accept me as an equal and my decision. Accept who I am."

There was a long silence, Lucinda being too embarrassed to meet Undertaker's gaze. Undertaker studied her for a long moment, many things going through his mind. Silently, he stood up from the table and approached Lucinda's side. Putting his finger under her chin, he made her look up at him. Lucinda blinked while Undertaker just smiled down on her.

"If you plan on meeting Adrian Crevan, m'dear, you need to like yourself more," Undertaker said softly, "and learn not to rely so much on other people's opinions. If you want to meet the hero you believe is strong, then you have to become strong."

Lucinda's eyes grew wide. Undertaker, his eyes never leaving her, offered her his hand and he helped her stand up.

"People have a hard time accepting new concepts that are strange to them," he continued. "People, especially shinigami, are afraid to explore a new idea they have no control over. You already know that the path you have chosen will lead you down resentment, and you cannot let society's views pull you down."

Lucinda blinked.

"S-so you are saying..."

"I'm saying that there is a good chance that you won't ever get accepted," Undertaker explained. "Our kind has already dubbed you strange and crazy because you tried to branch out to your full potential. As long as you are happy with your decision, it should not matter what everyone else thinks. Do you understand what I am trying to say, Lucy?"

Lucinda's eyes watered, her breathing thickening as she tried not cry.

"...I had partly hoped that once I got the higher ups to see how great of a grim reaper I have become, I would get accepted back," she muttered, her voice cracking. "That I wouldn't be an outcast anymore..."

Undertaker smiled sympathetically.

"And what's wrong with being an outcast? Is it worth suffering through the lies and cruelty of others just to find the simplest companionship?"

There was a short silence.

"...No, it isn't," Lucinda finally answered, a single tear falling from her eye. "And it is about time I fully learned that lesson."

She paused.

"...But I'm not completely alone either. I have you."

Undertaker stiffened, feeling a bit surprised. Unexpectedly, Lucinda put her arms around him and embraced him in a tight hug. Undertaker froze, his face becoming slightly warm as he felt Lucinda's closeness. Neither of them said anything, an awkward silence filling the air. Undertaker could sense a desperate need of comfort from Lucinda, her grip on him becoming tighter and tighter. Eventually, he hugged her back, his muscles slowly losing tension the longer he held her.

* * *

"You wanted to see me, sir?" Ronald asked as he slowly opened the door to William's office. "Your secretary said it was urgent."

"And indeed it is," William answered, sitting at his desk as he wrote down some paperwork.

He said nothing else, making Ronald just stand there awkwardly in front of the door. Ronald gave a puzzled look.

"Uh...sir, do you want me to sit down?"

"No, for we will be leaving in a few minutes," William replied nonchalantly. "Just need to write down one more thing..."

He wrote a few quick notes. Ronald sighed to himself, feeling slightly annoyed.

_If we were going to leave as soon as I arrive, why bother sending me?_

"...There, done," William said as he sat the papers to the side.

He got up from his chair.

"Please follow me, Knox. We are going to meeting room A-13."

"Isn't that meeting room being used right now?" Ronald questioned. "I saw the sign saying that it was in use on the way here."

But William did not answer his question, only gently moving Ronald to the side so that he may pass. Ronald sighed and followed him, knowing that all his questions were about to be answered in a matter of seconds.

Walking down a busy hallway, passing by many attractive secretaries, Ronald noticed, the two shinigami soon arrived at meeting room A-13. William unlocked the door with a key and he and Ronald went inside. Upon entering, Ronald's eyes widened with shock to see that only one other person was in the room, and with their whole body tied against a chair.

"Sir...what is this?" Ronald questioned, alarmed. " _Why_ is he tied to a chair?"

"Because he is a criminal that I just captured," William explained with little emotion. "Knox, he is the one who broke into the death scythe department."

Ronald's eyes widened. The shinigami tied to the chair then noticed he and William were in the room, his long red hair falling in his well beat up face.

"Oh Will darling, you are back!" Grell Sutcliff exclaimed, his broken glasses obviously effecting his vision. "I was getting worried that you would leave me here all alone..."

"Quiet, Sutcliff," William spat in disgust. "You are already in trouble as it is. Do not make it worse for yourself."

Grell let out a dreamy sigh.

"Even when threatening me, your voice is always so intoxicating... Even more than Sebastian darling's!"

William's eyes glowed with annoyance. At that moment, Grell's gaze moved towards Ronald.

"Who is this, Will?" he asked. "With my specs all messed up, I can't tell who the other man is, no doubt handsome..."

"My name is Ronald Knox," Ronald said. "I'm with the dispatch department."

"Well...I would say nice to meet you," Grell replied with a crooked smile. "But as you can see...I'm in a bit of a mess. Because _someone_ felt it was okay to _mess up a lady's face like this_!"

He whimpered out small sobs. Ronald, disturbed by this, turned his attention to William.

"Mr. Spears, sir, I'm still not sure why you brought me here," he said. "Do you think I have something to do with Mr. Sutcliff's robbery of the death scythe department?"

William shook his head.

"No, you are here for a completely different reason."

He cleared his throat.

"Sutcliff here has been hiding within the human realm for months now and knows his way around without bringing too much attention to himself. He was able to disguise himself as a butler for one of the aristocratic humans in London and was able to pull off being a mortal almost perfectly."

"Well, I _am_ an actress!" Grell announced with pride.

William glared at him, causing Grell to give an uneasy smile, before turning his attention back to Ronald.

"Since our sources are failing to find any trace of Harrowine and reap souls at the same time within the London area," William concluded, "Sutcliff here is not only fit for the punishment of finding her, but also will have a better time tracking her down. He has spent a long time with humans and trying to imitate them, so I have no doubt he will be able to find her trying to do the same imitations as he did."

"Ah, Will, you put so much faith in me, darling!"

Again, William glared at Grell to make him silent.

"The reason why I brought you here, Knox, was that I want you to tell Sutcliff all about Harrowine," William said. "Tell him all that he would need to know in order to track her down. Do you understand?"

Ronald nodded.

"I do, sir. But is it a good idea to give this type of assignment to someone like Sutcliff?"

"Hey, what are you trying to say!?" Grell demanded furiously. "Are you insulting me?!"

Ronald ignored him.

"Wouldn't he try to escape again if we allow him back into the human world?"

"I have thought about that," William answered calmly. "And that is why I will be attaching a tracking device onto him. If he tries to escape again, I will know."

He made his way to the door.

"I will leave you two alone so that you can discuss the matter in private," William said over his shoulder. "Within the hour, I will return and then you will be free to go. Just give Sutcliff the information and that is all."

He then closed the door behind him. Grell blinked.

"Well...he seems to have you close leash," he commented. "Did you two get into an argument or something?"

Ronald narrowed his eyes.

"No, it is just we have different view points on this situation," he answered simply. "The only reason I am here is because I know Lucinda the best out of everyone."

"...Makes sense," Grell replied, now seemingly bored. "Is she like your girlfriend or something?"

Ronald shook his head as he sat in the seat next to Grell, to his great discomfort.

"No, she is just a close friend," Ronald explained. "We've kind of had each others' back for a long time and we take care of each other. Though as of late...it has been more like me taking care of her."

Grell raised an eyebrow.

"Her name is Lucinda Harrowine, right? I've heard many rumors about her being some sort of freak."

_You're one to talk._

"But I don't know her personally, so I'll just do what Will says and bring her back," Grell continued. "I can't make any promises, but if I don't see anything dangerous with her, I _might_ try to persuade Will on bring down her punishment. After all...who doesn't just want to get away from it all? The life of a shinigami is stressful."

Ronald nodded.

"I agree. And Lucinda isn't dangerous, nor is she psychotic. She's just...different."

"Different is one way to put it," Grell replied. "And hopefully that's all it is."


	11. Chapter 10

_Crash_!

Lucinda walked straight into a wall, taking a quick step back and rubbing her forehead while cursing softly to herself.

This…this was the _most_ frustrating piece of training she had ever done!

Before she could begin learning how to properly fight with her death scythe, Undertaker thought that the best way to truly be skilled in combat was to overcome every grim reaper's main weakness, their poor nearsightedness. Undertaker had taken away Lucinda's glasses, leaving her almost completely blind, and had ordered her to catch him somewhere in the parlor, as he had closed the shop for the day just to properly train with her. She had only been at it for a few minutes now, and already, she was at her boiling point.

How _is chasing him around a room, coffins scattered all over the floor, suppose to help me fight blindly?!_

Lucinda could hear Undertaker raving with laughter at the other side of the room, clearly enjoying himself.

" _He he he_!" he cried out with big gasps of air. "Lucy dear, you will _never_ succeed in capturing me if you just blindly run around the room! You have to strategize and use your other senses to make up for your lack of sight."

Lucinda growled.

_Easier said than done!_

Forcing herself to calm down, or the best she could, she turned away from the wall and slowly started to move through the room. She used her feet to feel what was in front of her, as everything was so dark and blurry. Even her own feet and hands were hard to put into focus. She could hear Undertaker's laughs and giggles, and by focusing on his voice, she used it to help guide her. But once she got on the right course, she would hear Undertaker move around the room, causing her to trip over the coffins multiple times. Undertaker would laugh, teasing her a little while she tried to stand back up. And the same results kept accruing over and over again, causing her to become angrier and make more rash mistakes.

Undertaker chuckled.

"If you can't conquer a simple exercise like this, how do you expect to win a fight against a demon if you lose your glasses during the middle of the battle?"

Lucinda sat down on one of the coffins, rubbing her aching forehead.

"How do you expect me to _find_ you if I can't _see_ you? My other senses can't track you down near as well and when they do, it always fails."

Lucinda could picture a large grin on Undertaker's face.

"That's because you are thinking too hard on finding me," he said. "Thinking causes hesitation, giving distraction and frustration which effects on your actions. Instead of letting your brain tell your actions what to do, use only your instincts. Don't think, but act."

Lucinda felt extremely puzzled. That made no sense to her, for how could she find him if she didn't think about it? But nevertheless, she closed her eyes and emptied her mind.

She could feel her frustration start to fade, a new, different feeling of control coming over her. She started to pick up small sounds within the room, the tiny creaks within the walls and even some of the noise coming from outside the shop. Lucinda stood up again, reopening her eyes to her still blurry world.

"Are you up for the challenge again, Lucy?" Undertaker asked, in almost a sing-song tone of voice.

Lucinda turned towards the direction of his voice. Slowly, she moved her foot forward and took a step, using her sense of touch to find nearby coffins. Trying to keep her mind at peace, Lucinda listened carefully for any sound or movement Undertaker would make, slowly following it closely while also being aware of her surroundings.

"Good, very good!" Undertaker praised. "Now, try to see if you can move a bit quicker."

And Lucinda did, her movements becoming a little swifter the more she got use to the sense of being blind. Suddenly, she stood completely still. There was a short silence, as she heard Undertaker's footsteps move closer to her.

"…Lucy?"

Her eyes gazed right in the direction the voice came from. Quickly reaching out, Lucinda was able to take a hold of Undertaker's arm. She smirked.

"Looks like I got you."

There was a small pause.

"…He he he, looks like you did."

Again, there was another pause. Lucinda blinked, wondering why Undertaker was taking so long to reply. Was he looking at something? She could not tell, since his face was so blurry. But the silence made her uncomfortable.

"…So can I have my specs back now?" Lucinda finally asked in a small voice. "I'm getting a bit of a headache without them…"

It took awhile for Undertaker to reply.

_What's with him?_

Lucinda felt him slip his arm out of her grip.

"There is one last training exercise I want you to do today, m'dear," Undertaker said, his voice having a slightly odd tone to it. "I want you to go the rest of the day without your specs to get use to the blindness. It will make things go quicker and help you learn how to do tasks without your eye sight."

Lucinda's eyes widened.

"What? Undertaker, I can't do that," she replied alarmed. "I've already have a large headache, not to mention my head hurts from bumping into things! Can't we do that tomorrow and focus on something else?"

Undertaker said nothing in reply, giggling softly to himself as he began to back away. Lucinda blinked.

"Hey, Undertaker!"

She tried to catch up to him. Without watching where she was stepping, Lucinda anciently tripped over one of the coffins. Losing her balance, she fell frontwards, causing her to fall straight into Undertaker. They both collided onto the ground, Lucinda lying right on top of Undertaker.

"Oh shit!" Lucinda cried. "I didn't mean to fall on top of you! I…"

She stopped in mid sentence, for she realized that her head was lying right on top of his chest. Lucinda froze, great heat rising to her face. She slowly lifted her head up, as she could see a blurry image of Undertaker's face, their faces only a few inches apart.

"…Oh shit…"

They stared at each other for a long moment.

"He he he…you took quite a fall, m'dear," Undertaker finally said to break the tensed silence. "Are you hurt?"

"Um…"

Lucinda felt like she was tongue-tied. She could hear a small, and yet nervous, chuckle escape Undertaker. Moving his arm slowly, he reached out inside his coat and pulled out Lucinda's glasses.

"Here are your specs back, dear."

He put them on Lucinda's face. With her vision back, she could see a very large grin over Undertaker's slightly red face. Lucinda got even more embarrassed as she quickly got herself off of him.

"…P-perhaps we should end training for the day," she said with a small stutter. "I-I'll go back to my room and read more about human anatomy or something. I'll see you at dinner."

Refusing to make eye contact, Lucinda got up and swiftly made her way to her bedroom, shutting the door behind her and locking it. She leaned against the door, her heart pounding in her chest. The scene replayed in her mind, each second of the memory making her face grow even hotter.

_I'm a complete idiot!_

* * *

As he heard Lucinda's bedroom door shut, Undertaker sat on the floor of his parlor, staring into space. His heart pounded in his chest, despite the well put together appearance he held. Lucinda's horrified expression was priceless, and if it had been any other person in that situation, he would have laughed hysterically. But with dear young Lucy…

_It's almost like every time I'm in close contact with her, all the humor from the world goes away._

Undertaker remembered how Lucinda looked without her glasses, how her eyes seemed to stand out more without that dark frame dimming down their captivating glow. Those eyes he could not help but stare at, even though they were like any other shinigami's. But _what_ made Lucinda's eyes seem so much different?

_Bang, bang, bang_!

Undertaker's thoughts were interrupted when there was a loud, impatient knock at the door.


	12. Chapter 11

The banging on the door became louder and louder with every second, indicating that the person behind it was getting _pretty_ impatient. Undertaker quickly got to his feet. Who could be wanting to see him so badly? Earl Phantomhive perhaps? But if it was him, he wouldn't be knocking so rudely...

More curious than annoyed by the constant banging, Undertaker approached the door and unlocked it with the key from his coat's pocket. When he opened the door, Grell Sutcliff, his face mostly healed now with new glasses, stood.

" _Yes_?" Undertaker asked, emphasizing the word.

"You're the only undertaker in London, aren't you?" Grell asked bluntly.

Undertaker blinked.

"I wouldn't say I'm the _only_ one, but I'm the one most people come to."

He gave a curious expression.

"Is there an argent reason to be banging on my shop's door?"

"Yes, and you either just made my job a lot easier or harder."

Grell quickly moved passed Undertaker and stepped into his shop.

"If you don't mind, I would like to ask you a few questions," he said. "Regarding if you worked on the corpse of a certain woman."

Undertaker took a moment to study Grell's face, as the sunlight reflected his yellow-green eyes.

There was a familiar look about him that made Undertaker wonder where he had seen this grim reaper before, but he did not question it out loud as he closed the door.

"Well, with the Jack the Ripper case concluded, I have gotten less female guests," Undertaker said with a crooked smile. "But perhaps I may have come across the woman you are looking for..."

A nervous look flashed on Grell's face for a second at the mention of Jack the Ripper.

"Right..."

He took a seat on one of the coffins, as if it was natural, which made Undertaker's grin grow.

"Would you care for some tea, or perhaps a homemade biscuit?"

Shivering like he was recalling a bad memory, Grell quickly shook his head. Undertaker chuckled to himself and walked over to the doorway between the rest of his house and the parlor.

"Tell me, who is this woman you are looking for?" Undertaker asked, his voice unusually loud. "Are you searching for a long-lost relative that may have been kidnapped or murdered?"

Grell crossed his legs.

"Well...it is a bit complicated, but I'm basically looking for this woman who has run away."

Undertaker gave a thoughtful look.

"Ah, a runaway you say? Well that's a bit troublesome..."

"You have _no_ idea," Grell replied with a sigh. "And honestly, I can't blame her, to an extent. But I've been forced to go find her, dead or alive."

"He he he... _interesting_." Undertaker grinned. "And why are you forced to go find her?"

Grell narrowed his eyes.

"The reason is not important. What _is_ important is if she has been brought to your parlor or not."

Standing up, Grell took out a picture from his giant red coat's pocket, which Undertaker _swore_ it looked like a woman's coat. Grell handed him the picture.

"Here is a photograph of her," he said as Undertaker took it. "Her name is Lucinda Harrowine. A really...odd person, to put it lightly."

Undertaker studied the picture. It was a small photo, clearly an older one as Lucinda looked slightly younger. It looked like a picture taken at some kind of party, for Lucinda was wearing formal attire. Though she had an uncertain look on her face, which was a mix between annoyance and embarrassment, she seemed rather beautiful to Undertaker.

But then he noticed that there was another person in the picture, which was Ronald, who was winking at the camera with a stupid grin on his face. He had his arm around Lucinda, bring her very close to him. Undertaker's grip tightened slightly on the photo.

"Who is this man she is with?" he asked softly.

Grell blinked.

"Oh him? That's her friend, Ronald. He gave me that photograph so I could show people what she looked like."

He sighed.

"Though it is a terrible one, if you ask me. I mean, she looks _dreadful_!That dress, if you can call it such a thing, is just _so_ unfashionable and colorless and ugly!"

Undertaker stared at the photo.

"...She is very pretty," he muttered, mostly to himself. "I can see why anyone would be worried about her..."

Grell shrugged his shoulders.

"I guess, I mean she is not as pretty as _I_ am, especially in _that_ monstrosity, but different men have different tastes... Even if poor..."

He paused for a moment.

"...Damn, I'm getting sidetracked!"

He quickly snatched the photo out of Undertaker's hand.

"So, have you seen her?"

Undertaker took a moment to reply, the picture of Lucinda and Ronald still fresh in his mind. He gave a small smile.

"I'm sorry, but I haven't seen or worked on anyone like her."

A look of disappointment appeared on Grell's face.

"Well...my job just became harder."

He sighed dramatically.

"Well, if you do end up getting her corpse brought to you, keep it on hold. I'll probably come back within a month's time...probably."

He made his way to the door.

"Goodbye, Undertaker."

He then left the parlor. Once Grell was gone, Undertaker made his way to the door and locked it again, his mind going all over the place.

"I can't believe you were able to fool him like that."

Undertaker blinked, turning around to see Lucinda. A small smiled appeared on Undertaker's face.

"It would take a lot of effort for him to find out what I really am," he said. "Though even if I was an armature, I doubt he would still be able to see."

He gave a small laugh.

"He is a _very_ simple-minded shinigami, I can tell just by the expressions on his face."

Lucinda smiled.

"Which is a good thing, considering that I was just a hallway away from being caught."

There was a small, awkward silence, Lucinda nervously twirling the ends of her hair.

" _So_...what exactly did he say?" she asked curiously. "I wasn't able to hear him from my room. I was barely able to hear your warning."

Undertaker smiled.

"He was just asking me if I had you as one of my guests, confirming if you were dead or alive to the higher officials."

"I see," Lucinda replied. "Were you able to get his name?"

Undertaker shook his head.

"No. But he wouldn't be a hard one to miss."

A curious looked appeared in Lucinda's gaze.

"Why, what did he look like?"

"Oh, just a gender confused grim reaper with an odd obsession with the color red and overly long hair that _really_ needs to be cut."

The way he said it made it sound like an everyday sight. Lucinda's eyes widened. Putting her hand to cover her mouth, her face twitched as she tried to contain her laughter. Undertaker smirked.

"...Did I say something to amuse you, m'dear?"

Lucinda took a moment to reply.

"...The way you said that..." Soft fits of laughter escaped each word she said. "The look on your face, _oh my God_..."

She lost it, unable to control it as she leaned against the doorway for support. Undertaker smiled, a warm feeling growing inside of him.

"It seems that you've gotten over what happened earlier, as you are smiling again, Lucy."

Lucinda immediately stopped laughing. Her eyes slowly looked up at Undertaker, her face redden a bit.

"...Yeah," Lucinda said softly. "I'm _really_ sorry about what happened. I just got too careless and didn't see, well, _feel_ , where I was going and..."

She started twirling the ends of her hair again. Undertaker gave a sympathetic look, moving closer to Lucinda.

"It's alright, Lucy. If anyone is to blame, it is me," he said with a smile. "I should have prepared you more for this kind of assignment and as your teacher, it was careless of me."

Lucinda refused to make eye contact. It was clear she still felt uncomfortable about what happened, and honestly, Undertaker still felt the same way. He didn't know what, but _something_ was developing between the two of them, something that they could not ignore or take lightly.

_And how can I properly teach my student if she so scared to look at me in the eye?_

"And because of my carelessness," Undertaker continued, "it is only fitting that I apologize to you for it."

Putting a few of fingers underneath her chin, he made Lucinda look up at him.

"So to make up for it, why don't I take you out tonight for a nice fancy dinner? Maybe even show you some of the sights of London and other attractions humans love."

Lucinda blinked, seemingly surprised.

"Really? Can you afford to do that?" she asked.

Undertaker nodded.

"Of course. Besides, I can't remember the last time I had a nice meal or really took the time to see London while I'm not on business..."

"And what about..."

Lucinda's lips twitched slightly.

"...That gender confused red wearing reaper who is after me? Or any of the other reapers that may be out?"

"We'll just have to be careful," Undertaker answered. "Since it will be at night, any other shinigami would have a harder time being able to see."

He smiled.

"So just as long we stay away from the color red or men in suits with large death scythes, we will be fine."

Lucinda chuckled softly.

"True, I see your point. And it would also give me experience how to spot other grim reapers at night."

Undertaker nodded.

"Exactly, m'dear!"


	13. Chapter 12

Once the sun had completely disappeared from the sky, Undertaker and Lucinda left the parlor for the dinner Undertaker had promised. Lucinda studied the area around her carefully, as this was the first time she had been out in the city at night. The streets were a lot darker compared to the nighttime streets in the shinigami world when she had to walk home from work, but she supposed that was to be expected, since humans were not as technologically advance.

Undertaker, wearing something slightly more formal than what he usually wore, offered Lucinda his arm as they made their way to the restaurant. Lucinda accepted it, her heart skipping a beat being so close to him. Though she appreciated that Undertaker was trying to make things right between them, she still would have preferred to have the night to herself, giving some space between them. She knew that after an incident like _that_ , she was bound to screw up again and make things even more awkward. That...and the fact that she sensed something was up with Undertaker.

Because she had been so focused on training, Lucinda didn't really take the time to notice too much, but she could see that Undertaker was more distracted than usual. Though she had only known the man for only a few months, Lucinda already knew him well enough to know what was considered 'normal' for him. Undertaker wasn't the sort of person to dwell on something for long, and if he did, he made sure he kept it to himself. Whatever was on his mind...it was effecting him greatly, and during the dinner, it was even more obvious.

The restaurant Undertaker had chosen was not too far from the London Bridge, which had a very pretty view of the city. They sat at a table next to a large window, where they had a nice dinner with a little bit of wine to go with it. ...Along with everyone, including their waiter, staring at them like they had just came from an asylum of some kind. Even with his attempt to dress up a bit, Undertaker's long, dark clothing and wild hair stood out, and Lucinda wasn't that much better off. If it was the grim reaper realm, they would have already been asked 'politely' to leave, and whatever kept the humans from doing the same thing, she knew that they were all anxious for them to leave. Lucinda gave a few glares from time to time at the humans, as Undertaker tried to keep up a conversation with her, but it still seemed like he had other things on his mind.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Undertaker paid the bill and they left the restaurant. Never in her life had Lucinda felt so relieved, and was looking forward to going home.

"Have you yet gotten to see the London Bridge yet, Lucy dear?" Undertaker asked. "It is a marvelous sight to see, especially at night."

Lucinda glanced over at the bridge.

"No, I haven't been to this part of the city before," she said. "The bridge is very grand. Much larger than anything back home."

Undertaker smiled.

"It is different compared to the older architecture in our realm. Would you care to take a look?"

Though Lucinda didn't really want to, she forced herself to give a small nod. Undertaker's smile grew and they slowly made their way to the bridge. Many carriages rode passed them on the busy street, along with other couples enjoying cool fall evening as they walked by. Similar to when she went to the viscount's party, Lucinda did feel slightly crowded with all the people around. It wasn't as bad compared to the party, since she was outside in the fresh air, but it was still nerve-wracking.

To her relief, Undertaker had led her to a not so crowded part of the bridge, in which they had the chance to look over and enjoy the view. There was a small silence, as Lucinda stared down at her reflection at the water down below.

"Are you happy being in the human realm?"

Lucinda blinked, looking up at Undertaker.

"Is this one of your jokes? I've told you before, Undertaker, I've never really fit in back home. Running away was one of the best decisions I've ever made."

She gave a thoughtful look.

"Is this why you've been so distracted tonight?" she asked softly. "Where you afraid that I was regretting becoming your apprentice?"

Undertaker leaned forward against the railing of the bridge, his hidden gaze staring at nothing.

"Not exactly," he replied, his smile still large on his face. "I was just merely curious if there were things that you regretted leaving behind. After all, coming to the human world must have been a big change for you."

Lucinda took a moment to reply, her eyes never leaving Undertaker.

"...Of course there are some things I miss," she answered with a sight hesitation. "I do miss the Shinigami Library, as I spent God knows how many hours there reading books and daydreaming about being a grim reaper just like my heroes."

"Like Adrian Crevan?" Undertaker asked.

Lucinda nodded.

"Especially him. And I also miss my apartment and my own bed."

She gave a small laugh.

"I don't mean to sound rude when I say this, as I am very grateful for your hospitality, but nothing beats sleeping in your own bed in your own house, you know?"

Undertaker nodded.

"Understandable, as I always feel more comfortable sleeping in one of my coffins then in any bed."

He paused for a moment.

"So all you miss is your old home and the grand library? There isn't any people you miss at all?"

Lucinda raised an eyebrow.

Why was he asking all these questions all of a sudden? What made him so suddenly interested in the details of her life before she came here, and why now after living with her for months?

_Is it possible that the shinigami who came by earlier said something to make him concern about it?_

Oh God...did they say something to make her seem like a madwoman?!

"...I've never really been close to many people," Lucinda finally said, careful as she chose her words. "To be honest, I'm closer to you then people I've known my whole life, including my parents."

That last sentence made Undertaker smile a bit.

"However...there is one person that I do miss," Lucinda continued, "and I'm a bit afraid he may have gotten in trouble with the higher ups because of my actions..."

Undertaker gave a curious expression, his smile fading.

"And who would that be, m'dear?"

Lucinda looked down at her reflection again.

"My friend Ronald, who was pretty much the only person who could put up with me back home. We've known each other since reaper school, always having each others' back and being there for each other whenever we really need it."

"Oh really..." Undertaker's voice trailed off a little. "And how would you help each other?"

"Um...well, back in school, I _always_ had to save him when we had a big test coming up," Lucinda replied, looking back through her memories. "He was a terrible student, while I was a good one. Studying and getting good grades was pretty much the _only_ thing people praised me on. He would also come to me to get advise when he would be having trouble with any of his girlfriends, and when we graduated from school, he would come to me to relieve the stress from the day."

Undertaker tapped his fingernails against the railing.

" _Interesting_...and how did he help you?"

Lucinda's eyes grew dark.

"...He'd protect me whenever I got myself into trouble. Whether it was fight with someone at school, my boss, or anyone giving me a hard time, Ronald would come in before things got really violent or I make a fool of myself. He would also help me by just _being_ my friend. Actually taking the time to give a damn about an outcast like me and putting up with my queer ways."

She tried to keep her voice from cracking.

"...I have no doubt that he has been questioned to help track me down. Or maybe even punished for being close to me and not stopping me."

She clutched her fists.

"...And I can't help but feel I've really let him down. He tried so hard to make sure I don't get kicked out of the shinigami realm, and this is how I repay him..."

She paused for a second.

"I guess if there is one regret I have, it was leaving Ronald with all this shit to go through. I may make my dream a reality, but it will be impossible to apologize to the only friend I've ever known."

Lucinda felt a tear fall down her cheek, but she quickly wiped it away before Undertaker could see it. There was a long silence, Lucinda refusing to make eye contact with Undertaker. She felt ashamed, and feeling his gaze burning into her made her feel even worse.

"...You care about him a lot, don't you?" Undertaker said softly, like he was mostly talking to himself. "You wish that he could be at your side right now, don't you?"

"...I do, but I-"

Lucinda cut herself off.

She quickly looked up at Undertaker, seeing a solemn look on his face as he stared out into the distance. She stared at him for a small moment.

_Is he...is he_ really _what I think he is?_

"...Did the red reaper mention something about Ronald before he left?" Lucinda suddenly asked.

Undertaker said nothing in reply.

"...If you think that there was something more between me and Ronald, you are mistaken," she continued, sounding completely sincere. "While Ronald did try to hit on me when we first met, he _quickly_ realized that I was not the type of girl who he would be interested in wooing. But that was a long time ago, and I'm more like a sister to him than anything, as he is a brother to me."

Undertaker turned his attention to Lucinda. Slowly, a small smiled appeared on his lips.

"I see."

He gave a small chuckle.

"I did not mean to get into your personal life like that, I was just merely curious as to what kind of people you were around."

He looked up at the sky.

"It's getting late. We should start making our way back to the parlor. After all, I do have a busy day ahead of me tomorrow, as do you."

Just like the beginning of the evening, Undertaker offered her his arm. And like before, Lucinda accepted it, though this time her heart skipped a beat for a different reason. Along with her thoughts now spinning out of control.


	14. Chapter 13

"Ron, are you alright?"

Ronald blinked as he heard his name being called. He looked into the eyes of his current girlfriend, Jane, who was giving him a concern look. Here he was, at one of the finest cafés in the shinigami realm with his beautiful girlfriend, enjoying a cup of freshly brewed coffee, and yet Ronald was not enjoying himself to the fullest.

Three weeks have passed since Grell had started his search for Lucinda, and every night, he has reported back that he still can't find a trace of her, or any clues if she was dead or alive. And for the last three weeks, Ronald kept worrying and worrying what could have happened to Lucinda, his mind concluding to some of the worst outcomes. He had hoped that going out with Jane for the third time in a row would help bring some peace of mind, but it was not giving him the relief he wanted so badly.

"I'm fine," Ronald finally said, trying his best to look cheerful. "I just got lost in thought for a second. Nothing to worry about, hon."

Jane raised an eyebrow, clearly unconvinced.

"And yet for the last two dates, you've been dazing off on me like that multiple times," she pointed out.

Ronald gave an uneasy smile.

"Yeah...well, work keeps me busy, you know? I haven't gotten as much sleep as I've wanted so I'm very tired. But not too tired for you, of course."

There was a short silence, Ronald hoping that he had been convincing enough to allow the subject to slide. He did not want to worry his girlfriend, or possibly anger her, on his concerns for Lucinda. Jane took a small sip of her coffee.

"...Ronald, I know how you men don't like to be seen as emotionally fragile as us women, but I hope you do know that I am willing to listen to any problems you may have."

She met his gaze.

"I'm assuming that your worried about your friend Lucinda, since that's all I ever hear about as far as rumors go. Have they finally found her or learned anymore about her situation?"

Ronald was silent for a short moment, a small smile coming across his lips.

"...Have I ever told you that you look even more beautiful when your thoughtful like that?"

A thick blush appeared on Jane's pale cheeks, but her gaze still remained firm and serious. Ronald chuckled softly, leaning back in his chair a bit.

"Well...you guessed right," he finally confessed, knowing that there was no way out. "Lucinda has been a close friend of mine for a long time. And even though I do think what she did was stupid beyond belief, I do hope that nothing bad has happened to her."

His gaze darkened for a second.

"After all, the human world is a cruel, dark place. Who knows what kind of dangers she has already faced, and I fear that things won't get better if they find her alive..."

Jane gave a thoughtful look.

"I see... So there hasn't been any updates in her case?"

Ronald shook his head.

"Nope. And what makes it worse is that I'm not allowed to be 'involved' in the case, aside from giving them more information on Lucinda. So even if they _do_ find something, it would be awhile before I know about it."

"And isn't it William T. Spears in charge of it?"

"Indeed he is, darling. The most cold-hearted reaper in charge of dealing with an overly emotional woman whose on the run and may or may not be close to death."

There was a slight pause.

"...Can you see why I would be worried?"

"I can, and believe me I do hope everything turns out alright in the end," Jane replied sympathetically. "In fact...I hope that they won't execute her for this."

Ronald blinked, feeling slightly surprised by Jane's supportive response.

"You mean...you don't think she is a traitor for what she did?"

Everyone thought so, since every time Lucinda was brought up in conversation, Ronald would hear his coworkers either rant with rage at her despicable behavior or shake their heads in shame, saying that she was a disgrace. Even a lot of the secretaries had similar opinions, and sometimes even harsher ones saying that Lucinda was an embarrassment to all that existed.

"Don't get me wrong, Ron, I _do_ think that there should be some punishment for what she did," Jane said, explaining her thoughts in detail. "But _should_ she be executed or be labeled as a traitor? No. I may have not known Lucinda personally, but from all the rumors I've heard, I can pinpoint what her motivations are and what drove her to do it."

She sighed softly.

"Being a grim reaper is hard, and to meet the standers you were born into is agonizing at times. Some people have it easier than others, like myself, who would never dream of being anything but a secretary. But those who can't usually live miserable lives, keeping quiet about it or too afraid to act out. Lucinda could not handle the life society had demanded her to have, and instead of dealing with it, she decided to act to make her life better."

Jane gave a small smile, a tiny glow of admiration appearing in her gaze.

"It takes great courage to stand up for yourself, and for that, I respect her for it. She has made history doing what she did, and it will either effect our future generations positively or negatively. Hopefully in a good way, as I believe that the standers we set ourselves to are far too great and are far too constraining. Making them a little looser would benefit us greatly."

Ronald stared at Jane for a long moment.

"...I never thought of it that way," he finally said. "I admit, I never imaged that someone would think that way about it."

He paused.

"...Unfortunately, I don't think most people are as opened minded about it as you are."

Jane nodded.

"In time, people's views may change, but for now, Lucinda will be seen as a wicked traitor. Like I said, it will either be a positive or a negative effect in the long run."

She then finished her coffee, setting it gently down back on the table.

"It's been a long evening," she said. "I wish to be taken home now."

Ronald nodded in reply.

Standing up, he approached Jane and helped her stand up, having her take his arm as he escorted her home. They did not talk much on the way home, as Jane's words repeated over and over in Ronald's mind.

Whether Lucinda realized it or not, she _had_ made her impact in history, just like all the grim reapers she fantasized on being like. But now it was hard to tell whether what she would be considered as. A great icon in revolutionary ideals, or a lunatic who would be forever be remembered as a mistake.

_Either way, this event, and its outcome, will not be forgotten anytime soon,_ Ronald thought, _and I will make sure it will come out as a positive memory._


	15. Chapter 14

As the cold, winter wind blew past her, Lucinda raised her death scythe and charged at Undertaker. She aimed her attack straight at him, but Undertaker was easily able to block her assault with few problems. His death scythe, hidden in the form of a Japanese _sotoba_ , was quickly able to go on the offensive and push Lucinda back. Lucinda's eyes widened, her eyes moving from place to place as she tried to find a weak point to strike. When she could not find one, she let Undertaker strike at her.

But before he had the chance to hit her, she dogged it just in time in order to get a clean kick to Undertaker's side. Undertaker yelped a bit and fell back into a few feet of snow, panting heavily. Lucinda pointed her death scythe at him, a large smile on her face as she breathed heavily.

"...Looks like I won that round," she said, the cold air hurting her lungs with the large amounts of air she was breathing. "Looks like I'm winning this training session with a current thirteen wins and only eight losses."

Undertaker smiled.

"I admit, you are a natural when it comes to the death scythe, m'dear. Never have I seen someone learn to fight so quickly as you."

His grin grew.

"However..."

While she was distracted, Undertaker was able to swipe his death scythe right under Lucinda's feet, causing her to lose balance and fall. Lucinda grunted, Undertaker quickly getting to his feet, having his scythe aimed at her.

"You are way too over-confident and let your guard down way too easily," Undertaker chastised. "You _must_ be on full alert until you are for certain that your opponent can't strike you again. Otherwise...you may get yourself in a little bit of trouble..."

Lucinda gave a small smile.

"Hey, you're good at acting defenseless! You can't blame me too much..."

Undertaker chuckled softly. He was about to offer Lucinda his hand, but she quickly got herself up before he could have the chance. She gave a small cough as she wiped the snow off of her pants.

"So, are we going to go another round?"

Lucinda's face was flushed, her clothes damped from falling into the snow and her body shivering with cold. Undertaker shook his head.

"Let's call it a night. We've been at this for hours now and we don't want to draw too much attention to ourselves."

Lucinda leaned her weight against her scythe.

"Right... I get so caught up in training that I forget we need to be on the lookout for any nearby grim reapers."

She let out another cough.

"I wish we were able to train somewhere other than this opened field in middle of the night. I could get a lot done and improve my skills twice as fast!"

_If you could, you would train without ever having to stop._

"He he he, but even if we could, you would still need to take breaks," Undertaker said out loud. "You look exhausted, Lucy."

Lucinda's eyes widened.

"W-what?! No I'm not! I could do this all night if I had too!"

Undertaker gave a small laugh, though his hidden eyes glowed with concern.

"Your determination is to be admired. I promise that if the weather is good, we can train twice as long tomorrow night."

Lucinda coughed.

"...Alright, but you promise!"

Reluctantly, she picked up her scythe and started to make her way home. Lucinda was slow in her movements, her exhaustion starting to effect her fatigue. Quickly coming to her side, Undertaker put his arm around her to help her walk faster, while also keeping her warm at the same time. Lucinda flinched at his touch at first, but did nothing to stop him. Undertaker tightened his grip around her, for he could not help but worry about her.

Ever since they came back from their night out on the London Bridge, Lucinda became completely devoted to every waking hour to her shinigami training. True, she was always obsessed with it, but now it was to the point where Undertaker had to _force_ her to back off for a few hours so that she didn't overwork herself. Not only that, but she became very jumpy whenever they were in close contact, as if she was suddenly afraid to get close to him. Though it wasn't like Undertaker was much better.

Soon enough, they arrived back at Undertaker's parlor. Once inside, both Undertaker and Lucinda felt great relief getting out of the bitter cold. Lucinda let out a small yawn.

"...Well, it's been a long night," she said in a rough voice. "I'll see you in the morning."

She removed herself from Undertaker's side and disappeared down the hallway. Undertaker watched her go, a part of him longing to have her close to him again.

Taking off his hat and setting it down on the desk, he made his way towards the workroom, dragging his death scythe with him. Unlocking the door and quickly going inside the room, the strong stench of death and rotting flesh filled the dark, thick air. Even to a shinigami, this would be an overpowering smell, but Undertaker was very used to it.

The room was filled with coffins, most of them occupied with Undertaker's guests. Usually, the guests who rested in this room were prepared and made ready for their funerals or ready to be buried by Undertaker. Though sometimes some had…different purposes. From time to time, he would find himself with a guest that had no family, no funeral, and no place to be buried or cremated. With a strong curiosity for the dead and with the shinigami senses and tools to experiment with…he had found a good use for his unclaimed guests.

On an operating table, his one and only current unclaimed guest laid, her hands clasped over her chest with a look of peace on her face. Taking his death scythe out of its disguise, Undertaker lit a single candle for light and then approached the dead girl. With the little light, he could see that the girl was very young, her light blue dress all torn up and stained with her long orange hair all frizzy and tangled up. In a way, she looked very similar to Lucinda, and would have been just as beautiful if it wasn't for her terrible condition. Undertaker stared at the dead girl for a long moment, his mind unable to look past the similarities. He sighed softly. Finally, he had the chance to work without worrying of getting caught by Lucinda, and yet he can't keep his thoughts away from her.

Before, the moment he came into his workroom nothing else mattered; only the guest he was working or experimenting on. It was a time where he could lose himself to his uncontainable curiosity and longing for knowledge. It was all he needed. But then Lucinda showed up, and he knew he would have to sacrifice some of his time in order to help a fellow outcast grim reaper in a time of need. But as the months went by, the more he was with her and got to know her, she was almost constantly on his mind, and he found himself working less and less overtime. It was like he was having a war within himself, one half wanting him to get back to working while the other half wanted to spend more time with his apprentice.

While being lost in thought, Undertaker subconsciously started to run his fingers through the girl's orange hair.

Maybe the reason he kept thinking of Lucinda right now was because he was worried about her health? After all, it did seem like the cold was getting to her towards the end of her training.

Setting his scythe against the nearby wall, Undertaker left his workroom and made his way to Lucinda's room. He gave a soft knock on the door, waiting a few seconds to see if Lucinda would reply. When she did not, a part of him grew worried. Turning the doorknob, which turned out to be unlocked, Undertaker cracked the door opened a tiny bit. The room was dark, but he was faintly able to see Lucinda's figure lying on her bed.

_She is asleep._

Quietly, Undertaker entered the room, gently closing the door behind him. He slowly approached Lucinda's bedside. She was laying completely still, her mouth slightly opened as she breathed through it. There was a small amount of heat coming from her, and when Undertaker put his hand to her forehead, he could feel a strong amount of heat and sweat.

_She is running a fever..._

Lucinda shivered in her sleep, pulling her blanket closer to her as she desperately tried to get warm. Undertaker frowned, as he had no other blankets to give to her. Thinking of the next warmest thing he had, he then took off his large black coat and placed it over the bed. Once the coat was put over her, Lucinda's shivering slowly ceased, indicating she was getting warm. Undertaker smiled. Coming up with another way to help, he left the room for a quick second to get a rag damped with cold water from the kitchen. When he came back, he placed it on top of Lucinda's forehead, hoping it would help bring down the fever. The only thing that he could do now was make sure Lucinda rested, knowing that once she woke up that getting her to stay in bed was going to be _very_ difficult. And though he should leave her to rest, Undertaker found it extremely hard to do so.

She was sick, he did not want to leave her alone! What if she needed something? What if she got worse? What if...

Suddenly, Lucinda groaned in her sleep, snapping Undertaker out his thoughts as he heard her saying something that took him completely by surprise.

"... _Undertaker_..."

She had said his name, subconsciously in a time of need. She had _called out_ to _him_...

A storm of emotions spiraled through Undertaker for a moment. But eventually, as a master of containing his emotions, he was able to keep them under control. A small smile came across his face, a tiny laugh escaping him.

"He he he... Who would have thought taking you in would cause this much drama?" Undertaker said softly. "Who would have thought you would be able to get me feel emotions I haven't felt in a _long_ time..."

He leaned in close to her, gently pulling back the many stray hairs out of Lucinda's face. Undertaker giggled again.

"...Especially towards my own kind, who I have abandoned for so long. To someone who is breathing, has a voice, and who can..."

He lost his words. Undertaker and Lucinda were now only a few inches apart. Undertaker hesitated for a second. With a gentle touch, he filled the gap between them and gave her a soft, gentle kiss on her warm lips. Lucinda muttered a bit at the touch, but did not wake to it. With his heart pounding in his chest and intense heat rising to his face, Undertaker forced himself to pull back and walk towards the door. Giving one last look at Lucinda, he then left the room, gently closing the door behind him.


	16. Chapter 15

What's going on? What am I doing?

_Lucinda wandered aimlessly down a deserted road in the shinigami realm, the area around her all blurry and dull. It was the same road she would always take on her way to work at the Shinigami Library. However, she didn't know how she got there, why she was going that way, or why everything looked so faded. She could feel like something was messing with her mind, she was not completely herself. Was she under a demon's influence? Had she somehow come in contact with that demon Sebastian?_

Sebastian...the demon that got away.

_Lucinda clutched her fists, as she remembered how close she was to take him down at the viscount's party. He would have been hers, if it wasn't for..._

_Suddenly, something caught her vision. Lucinda stopped in her tracks. In the distance, she could see a black figure of a man standing before her. A figure who had bright, blood-red eyes. Lucinda narrowed her eyes._

Sebastian!

_Having instinct take over, she charged at him. Sebastian gave off a small laugh, running the other way as Lucinda came closer and closer._

That bastard! I won't let him get away... Not this time!

_She chased him all the way the library. But once Sebastian reached the pure white steps, his body faded away into a black mist. Lucinda stopped dead in her tracks, her eyes wide as she watched him disappear. She quickly made her way to the spot where he vanished, but her mind could not grasp what had just happened._

W-what...

_She then heard the doors to the library open. Lucinda looked up, and to her complete shock, it was Undertaker who stepped out. Only...he looked a little different._

_Instead of wearing his usual long black coat with the lockets attached to it, he was wearing a professional grim reaper suit with a long black coat. His long silver bangs were pulled back slightly, where Lucinda could clearly see his bright yellow-green eyes behind his dark glasses, along with seeing the scar that ran across his entire face._

_Lucinda stared at him, her eyes never leaving his. He...looked so different, and yet so familiar. In fact, he seemed to look exactly like..._

_The little clear thought that was going through Lucinda's mind came to a halt as she realized Undertaker was approaching her. The closer he came, the more Lucinda noticed how incredibly handsome he was, and the longer she stared at him the more her mind became blank. Soon, they stood face to face, staring into each other eyes. Slowly, Undertaker lifted his hand to Lucinda's cheek, stroking it gently._

_"...Undertaker..."_

_His name softly escaped from her lips, but it did not sound right to her. It was not his real name, not who he really was..._

_When she said his name, Undertaker gave a small smile, a soft laugh escaping him. He pressed himself closer to her, Lucinda losing herself in his gaze. He then pressed his lips against hers, giving her a gentle, yet passionate kiss. At first, Lucinda did not know how to react. Slowly, she started to close her eyes._

_But before she could kiss him back, she felt herself losing consciousness, losing any sense of feeling. And then everything turned into a warm, suffocating black abyss..._

* * *

When she finally was able to regain some feeling, Lucinda slowly opened her eyes. It took all her willpower to do so, as she felt great exhaustion. She forced herself to sit up, and the moment she did, a cloth fell from her forehead. Lucinda blinked, picking it back up, realizing it was slightly damped.

_...Why...how did this...?_

She pressed the back of her hand to her forehead. Eyes widening, she realized that she felt a little warm. She must have gotten sick during the night, and Undertaker must have come by and placed the cloth on her forehead to help bring the fever down.

_Undertaker..._

The thought of him entering her room while she was unconscious made her heart skip a beat. At that moment, Lucinda began to remember the dream she had, where Undertaker had...

"...No...No, I _can't_!"

Pulled her blanket closer to her, only then to realize that not only did she have a strong grip on her blanket, but also Undertaker's coat. Lucinda quickly let go, removing both the coat and blanket off of her. She leaned back against the wall, her breathing quickening as she felt a little light-headed.

This...this was wrong! She couldn't start feeling these kinds of emotions towards Undertaker! He was her mentor, she was his apprentice, their relationship needed to stay professional in order for her to get the proper training she needed. It was already breaking grim reaper social standers for a shinigami to train a woman, but to have the relationship become _more_ then master and apprentice was crossing the line!

_And yet...it doesn't seem to be stopping Undertaker._

Lucinda thought back to their night out, that moment on the London Bridge where she had sensed some jealousy coming from him. That moment continued to haunt her like a ghost, disturbing her as she was afraid of what could happen if he began to feel something more towards her. And what could happen...if she did the same.

_Stop it Lucinda! You are only going to make the situation worse if you think on it too much. Just focus only on the training and you will be fine._

Once her light-headedness started to fade, she put on her glasses, got up from the bed, and changed into some fresh clothes. She then opened the door and walked out to the parlor. Undertaker was not there, so she figured that he was either in his workroom or out in the city.

_Though I wonder what time is it. If I was sick, I must have slept for a very long time._

"Ah, Lucy dear!"

The sound of Undertaker's voice made her jump as she turned to see him right behind her. Undertaker smiled.

"I'm glad to see that you are up and about," he said cheerfully. "I was beginning to worry that your fever had gotten worse since last night. It was pretty bad."

Lucinda took a small step back.

"...I'm sorry I worried you. I appreciate your concern."

She gave an uneasy smile.

"But I'm better now, and I'm ready to start today's training whenever."

Undertaker chuckled softly in response, however, Lucinda could pick up a slightly off pitch about it.

"He he he, I knew you were going to say something like that."

He gave another small laugh.

"However I cannot allow you to train for today, or a few days for that matter. You got sick because you overworked yourself, and until you have rested to full health, there will be no training."

Lucinda blinked.

"But...I can't neglected my training," she objected, a slight panic in her voice. "I could set myself back on all the new techniques and battle moves I've learned! I-"

"Lucinda."

Lucinda immediately stopped talking. There was a strong sense of tension in the air, as both Undertaker and Lucinda stared at each other. Lucinda felt her face grow hot, as she remembered how in her dream Undertaker had his hair back, where she saw his eyes in perfect view.

"M'dear, if you really are so concern about falling back, getting yourself sick is what's ultimately going to bring you down," Undertaker said firmly. "A few days off is not going to kill you. And if you are really that desperate to train, practice having your glasses off and adjusting to seeing things without them. Does that sound fair?"

Lucinda slowly nodded her head. Undertaker smiled.

"Good. Now get yourself something to eat and then go straight back to bed. The sooner you rest, the sooner we will be able to fully train again."

He started to walk away, probably heading to the workroom. However, Undertaker's eyes still stuck out in Lucinda's mind, and before he disappeared, she came up to him and placed her hand on his shoulder.

"Undertaker, wait."

At her touch, Undertaker tensed up. He quickly turned to face her, his smile gone.

"Yes, Lucy?"

Lucinda avoided eye contact. She took her hand back and stepped back, making sure there was space between them.

"I...want know why you have your bangs cover your eyes all the time."

Undertaker started at her, as if surprised.

"...That's a silly question."

He smiled.

"I have my eyes covered to disguise my shinigami appearance. I told you that our eyes stand out the most and that the best way to blend in is to hide them."

"I know...but why _all_ the time?"

Gaining a little courage, Lucinda's gaze hardened as she tried to make eye contact.

"Being out in public is one thing, with demons and other grim reapers to worry about, but why hide them when it's just me around? I know what you really are, there is no reason why you would have to hide them from me."

There was a long silence, as Lucinda anxiously waited for Undertaker to reply. Undertaker stood very still, and it was impossible to read what he was thinking or even know if he was still looking at her.

"...I guess I haven't really thought about pulling them back," Undertaker finally answered. "I've had them placed like this for so long I didn't think twice about it."

He giggled.

"Though I'm curious as to why you suddenly want to know."

_Bringing the question back on me..._

Lucinda narrowed her eyes.

"It is just something I now noticed. It also accrues to me that out of all the time we've spent together, living together, there is still so little I know about you."

She smirked.

"Plus you got so interested in my personal life not too long ago. I'm sure you can spare me a little detail like that about yourself."

That obviously hit him hard, for Undertaker had no way to hide his nervous reaction.

"He he... True," he said with a small laugh, "that is true..."

He continued to give off small laughs. Lucinda studied him for a moment.

Though her fears still lingered, she could not allow it to control her. Her apprenticeship with Undertaker was going to last for a long time, there was no way around that. Like mastering her training, she must master her emotions. And besides...

"Well, I must not keep you from your work, Undertaker."

Lucinda walked passed him, and as she did, she ran her fingers slightly through his hair.

"I'll see you later tonight."

Seeing the dumbfounded expression on his face, Lucinda quickly retreated to her room and shut herself inside.

Though her heart pounded in her chest, she couldn't help but smile. After all, this was the first time someone was paying attention to her, for _her_ , so why not have a little fun?

Just so long as it doesn't get out control.


	17. Chapter 16

"Have you heard about the children that have gone missing from that dreaded circus?"

Lucinda stopped dead in her tracks as she heard two women gossiped. She was on her way home from her daily study of observing human interactions and routines. It was around noon, and though she would have preferred to have stayed out longer, she had promised Undertaker that she would be home in time for lunch. He had promised to cook them something special, in return for her keeping herself in check and not overworking herself. It had been hard for her not to work as much as she desired to, but it made Undertaker happy, making it worth the effort.

"I have, and what a dreadful thing!" a woman dressed in blue replied to her friend. "The name of the circus was the Noah's Ark Circus, wasn't it?"

The other woman, dressed in red and white, nodded.

"Yes. And what's worse is that same circus is coming to London!"

The woman in blue gasped.

"Oh my! There is no way I'm going to go to it! I can't risk it with my children..."

"Mine either!"

They continued to chat, each expressing their worries and fears. Lucinda then continued on her way, her thoughts drifting.

A circus that kidnaps children? That was indeed a very horrific thing, especially what could be involved with that sort of thing.

_Lots of children's souls must have been collected from that circus, or have yet to be collected... Perhaps this could be the chance I've been waiting for?_

For the past few weeks, Lucinda has gotten to the point where she could effectively defend herself with her death scythe. She could handle herself in a real fight, she had the will, strength, and skill to do so. And knowing how Ronald's training proceeded, she would soon be ready for her first attempt of reaping her first human soul. Lucinda's heart skipped a beat at that thought.

Finally, she could start performing like a true shinigami!

Lucinda then quickened her pace. When she arrived at the parlor, she rushed inside and called out, "Undertaker, I'm back!"

No answer came in reply. Lucinda blinked, her eyes curiously moving throughout the dark room. Soon, she picked up the faint sound of soft laughter, coming from a coffin that laid right side up against the wall. She then walked over towards it, carefully opening the coffin to see Undertaker laying inside it. He smiled.

"Hello, Lucy dear!"

Lucinda stared at him for a second.

"...Why are you hiding in a coffin in the middle of the day?" she asked nonchalant like. "You are bound to give a human a heart attack by doing that."

Undertaker giggled.

"And wouldn't you like that? It would make it easier to reap your first soul..."

Lucinda sighed.

"Yes, but there is no challenge in that. Those speaking of reaping my first soul..."

She took a step back so that Undertaker could get out of the coffin.

"I was thinking it is about time I start attempting to reap souls, or begin training to do so," Lucinda said. "I've been exceeding well in my combat training, so I think I am more than ready to try."

Undertaker put his hands together.

"He he he! Is that a little arrogance I hear in your voice?"

He chuckled to himself, making Lucinda roll her eyes.

"It's not arrogance if I just take a little pride in my abilities."

"And yet a little pride can go a long way, m'dear. Wouldn't want your pretty little head hurt because you are overconfident."

Lucinda crossed her arms, though a small amount of heat went to her face.

"Yeah, yeah. So, how about it?"

It took a minute for Undertaker to reply, as he got his thoughts together.

"I will admit I have thought about your first reaping assignment," he said. "Even before our combat practices, you have had the capability of successfully reaping a weak to mildly strong willed human soul."

His voice turned slightly serious.

"However, reaping human souls will be a greatly difficult task to do, seeing as you are a fugitive and one little mistake could be your end, as well as mine."

"I know," Lucinda cut in. "But I think I know a perfect opportunity for me to go out!"

"I assume you are talking about the Noah's Ark Circus incidents?"

Lucinda's eyes widened with shock.

"...You know about it?"

Undertaker nodded with a large grin.

"I do, and I also know that Earl Phantomhive and his butler will be coming any minute to see if I have any information from the underworld about it."

"...That was why you were in the coffin, wasn't it?"

Undertaker's grin grew.

" _Perhaps_... But yes, with so many missing souls, you should be able to get at least one. So when the earl does get here, I want you to follow him closely and try to find a dying soul to reap."

"Even with Sebastian around?"

Lucinda crossed her arms again.

"I disobeyed you once by going after that demon before," she questioned in a low voice, "what makes you think that I won't do it again, since you believe me to be arrogant?"

Undertaker gave a soft laugh.

"I want to see how you work with a demon around, along with how well you can hide your true nature from another supernatural being," he explained. "Besides, if there is another grim reaper in the area, the master butler can be used as a distraction while you work, so it makes it even bigger of an opportunity."

He moved closer to Lucinda.

"And even if you do try to kill him, there is a strong chance that I may be watching in the distance and may prevent you from doing so. You may be a skilled fighter with your death scythe, but you are not even close to fighting a demon of that power."

Lucinda said nothing in reply, for she had no doubt that Undertaker would pull off that threat. It did, however, angered her that he would tempt her like this, for he knew how badly she wanted to take Sebastian down.

_Trying to test my self control._

"Also, since it will only be a matter of time before the earl and his butler see you here with me," Undertaker continued, taking a step back and having the light-hearted tone in his voice come back, "I want you to meet them when they finally arrive. You will still be called as my apprentice, but of course for different reasons."

Lucinda smirked.

" _Ah_ , I see. Want to make sure they don't get the wrong idea if they just walk in here one day while you and I are alone?"

Undertaker giggled softly.

"He he, indeed. For you are _quite_ younger than me..."

Lucinda laughed.

"Considering how many people have come here and seen me with you, I wonder how many rumors have spread from the looks they have given..."

She shrugged her shoulders.

"But whatever. Let the humans think what they want."

She smiled.

"So, what do you have for lunch?"

* * *

"Are you in, Undertaker?" Ciel Phantomhive called out as he and Sebastian walked into the parlor.

It has been a few hours since Lucinda had come home, and for comedy's sake, Undertaker had asked her to not come into the parlor until the earl arrived. He was back again in his coffin, grinning like a manic as he waited for the perfect opportunity to reveal himself. He could faintly see the earl, Sebastian closing the door as Earl Phantomhive slowly walked deeper into the parlor. Once the earl was in the perfect place, Undertaker softly wheezed out a sinister laugh.

" _He he! I bid you welcome, milord..._ "

As he spoke, he slowly moved the coffin lid to the side, revealing himself.

"Has your lordship _finally_ felt like slipping into the coffin I made specifically for you?"

Earl Phantomhive narrowed his eyes in disgust and annoyance, while Sebastian stood quietly beside him.

"... _How_ have you not been sent to the asylum by now?" the earl commented, though it seemed he was talking mostly to himself.

Undertaker's grin widened.

"That's my little secret. One that I _may_ share with you in time...he he he..."

Undertaker sat down behind his desk and gestured a hand towards the lied down coffins.

"Please take a seat, for we have much to talk about besides your missing children from the Noah's Ark Circus incidents..."

Earl Phantomhive blinked, seemingly surprised. Undertaker felt amused to see the young earl's reaction, since it was very rare for him to see the child's emotions. Once Earl Phantomhive had sat down, with Sebastian standing right behind him, Undertaker cleared his throat and spoke.

"For many generations, your family has come to me with information regarding the underworld. However...eventually there will be a time where you and your family will no longer be able to rely on me."

Earl Phantomhive raised an eyebrow.

"Are you saying you're retiring?"

Undertaker gave a small smile and shook his head.

"The day I retire will be the day I die. I am merely informing you that I have taken in an apprentice to serve you in the future."

As if on cue, Lucinda walked into the room. With her hair slightly covering her shinigami gaze, she forced herself to only keep her eyes on the earl.

"Milord, this my apprentice, Lucinda Harrowine," Undertaker said. "She has been working for me since last month, and I have already told her much about you."

Lucinda did a small curtsy.

"It is an honor to meet you, my lord."

Earl Phantomhive was silent for a moment.

"...Pleased to make your acquaintance as well."

He gestured towards Sebastian.

"If Undertaker has told you about me, then I'm sure he mentioned my butler, Sebastian Michaelis."

Lucinda nodded.

"He did."

She made eye contact with him.

"It is...a pleasure to meet you."

"...And to you as well, _Miss_ Harrowine."

Sebastian said his words carefully, his eyes trying to see through Lucinda's.

There was a strong tension in the air, making it a miracle that Lucinda was able to pull of the polite act so well. Undertaker could sense that it would take all her self discipline to go through with this without attempting to slit the demon's throat, and he hoped that she could pull it off.

"...And now that has been taken care of," Undertaker finally said, breaking the silence, "I assume you want to discuss about the missing children, milord?"

Earl Phantomhive nodded.

"Yes. Sebastian, show him the files."

Sebastian did as he was asked, taking some files out of his black coat's inner pocket. He walked over and handed them to Undertaker, his eyes glancing at Lucinda for a second, before returning to his master's side.

"Do you recognize any of these children?" Earl Phantomhive asked. "Have any of them been clients of yours?"

Undertaker looked through each of the files, glancing at the pictures of the missing children. Lucinda saw them as well, and when they were finished, Undertaker smiled and said, "Well...they _may_ be familiar... But I can't _quite_ remember off hand..."

The earl clutched his fists, making Undertaker's grin grow. But before he could reply to ask for his payment, Lucinda spoke up.

"We have not seen these children come into the shop," she said, her voice unnaturally calm. "I'm afraid all we know are the rumors."

She sat down at the edge of the desk.

"I can see you are in a hurry, so you can repay Undertaker at a later date."

Her eyes glared into Sebastian's.

"I suggest you make your way to the circus if you want to get answers. And if you find any bodies, we will be more than happy to take them off your hands."

There was a short silence.

"...Thank you for the information, Miss Harrowine," Earl Phantomhive finally said. "I can see that working with you will be _much_ easier for future reference."

He stood up.

"Thank you for your time."

He made his way to the door. Sebastian soon followed, giving a small smile and nod to Lucinda as he left. Undertaker felt annoyed by that.

When the earl and butler were gone, Lucinda let out an exhausted sigh.

"...Sorry that you didn't get your joke, Undertaker," she apologized, "but there was _no_ way I could have lasted much longer with that... _thing_!"

Undertaker turned to Lucinda.

"It will come easier with time," he said with a gentle smile. "Your act was well played, m'dear."

Lucinda smirked.

"As was yours. They were completely fooled."

Undertaker chuckled softly.

"I doubt if they were fooled _completely_. The young earl is a _very_ smart human child."

He moved his hidden gaze back towards the door.

"The little lord is one of the few humans I have come to respect, rather than see as a mindless mortal. Out of all my time around humans...the Phantomhives have always surprised and fascinated me the most."

He became lost in thought, one of his fingers gently circling one of his many hair lockets he carried.

"...However there is an arrogance around them that always becomes their downfall. They try to become more than mortal, and it eventually ends up killing them in the end."

Lucinda blinked, pulling her hair out of her face with a thoughtful look in her eyes.

"You care about the earl, don't you?"

A small, slightly sad, smile appeared on his lips.

"He reminds me of someone I knew long ago, someone he takes after greatly. Someone who also forgot that she had only one soul to lose..."

There was a long silence.

"...Well, I should get ready for my first assignment. I can't have the earl and demon have too much of a head start."

Lucinda quickly got off from the desk and went off to her room. Undertaker watched her from the corner of his eye.

_Confident as a warrior ready to slay their ultimate foe. Let's hope that Lucy too remembers that she has only one soul to lose..._


	18. Chapter 17

As Sebastian and Earl Phantomhive entered through the front entrance to the Noah's Ark Circus, Lucinda followed them from a safe distance. She lowered her hat to make sure it hid her eyes, her gaze scanning the area for anything that could lead to the missing children. So far, there was nothing out of the ordinary, just various of tents scattered around a small area, packed with people as they laughed and chatted, ready to be entertained. Even with the dark rumors, it surprised Lucinda how many people were at the circus.

_Humans are such fools. Danger could be right in front of them and yet they still blindly go into it..._

She then noticed that the earl and his butler were going into the big tent. She smiled to herself, for if the main show was about to begin, this was her chance to search the back while most of the performers were gone.

_And the further I'm away from the demon, the better._

Glancing behind her for a second, Lucinda carefully made her way towards the back of the circus. The closer she got to the performers' tents, the thinner the crowds became, which was a great relief for her. Once in the back, Lucinda did all she could to make sure she stayed in the shadows, her senses on high alert for any sound or sign of movement. Even though the main show was going on, there were still many lesser performers hanging around, though most of them were too distracted with conversation or alcohol to take notice to Lucinda.

When she got passed the lesser tents, it was easy to tell where the main performers' stayed, as their tents were a lot larger. Obviously, if there was to be any clues as to where the missing children were, the main stars' tents would be the place to look. Seeing that the cost was clear, Lucinda went inside one of the tents. Inside, she could immediately tell that the tent belonged to a woman, as there were many feminine and revealing outfits hanging on the wall. Next to a small bed, there was a large chest. Curious to see if there was anything of interest inside, Lucinda opened it, and to her surprise, there was a picture. She picked it up and studied it.

It was a picture of a middle-aged man, from the looks of it a rich one, with many children around him. Was this man connected to the missing children? From the picture, it could be possible.

Taking a moment to memorize the man's appearance, Lucinda put the picture back and left the tent. After going through a few of the other tents, she came across similar pictures with that same man, all of them with him being around at least one child. But other than that, she could not find any other clues. Eventually, she arrived to search the last tent, and since it was the biggest, she assumed it belonged to the ringleader. Slowly, she began to hear louder voices, alerting her that the final show had just finished.

_I have to work fast._

She quickly went inside, her eyes scanning the area as her heart started to beat a little faster. She searched through the chests and boxes, but there were no other clues. And the longer she stayed in the tent, the louder the voices became. But before she gave up the search, she then took notice that there was a little piece of paper hidden underneath the pillow on the bed. Lucinda took it and read it. Her eyes widened, for she saw that Ciel Phantomhive's name, along with his birth date and address, was on the paper.

Why did the ringleader have a letter with Earl Phantomhive's personal information on it? Was the circus planning to kidnap the young earl, like they have the other children?

Knowing that she had little time to escape, Lucinda put the letter back in its place and left the tent. She quickly ran and hid in the shadows, as she could see some of the members of the first act coming through. Her eyes glowed with curiosity as she recognized some of their facial features from the children she saw in the pictures. Whether this was a good sign or not, Lucinda could not say at the moment.

Suddenly, she felt something slither passed her ankles. She slowly looked down, realizing that she was surrounded by a small group of snakes. Lucinda quickly covered her mouth to prevent herself from screaming, her whole body shaking as she tried to grab a hold of her hidden death scythe.

"Please, allow me."

Like her blood turned to ice, she quickly felt someone pick her up from her feet and carry her away from the snakes. Once they were a safe distance, still hidden behind the safety of the tents, Lucinda quickly got herself away from her savior's grasp. And to her utter disgust, she was face to face with Sebastian. But before she had the chance to reply, Sebastian gave a small smile.

"You need to be a little more careful, Miss Harrowine. Those snakes could have bitten you if I hadn't come in time."

Lucinda clutched her shaking fists.

"Y-yes. I can be a little careless at times."

She forced herself to smile.

"Thank you for the assistance, Mr. Michaelis. I really must be going."

She turned her back on him, however, he quickly grabbed a hold of her arm before she could leave.

"Hold on for a moment, my dear lady. I wish to speak to you, if only for a moment."

Lucinda refused to face him, her breathing becoming thicker.

"...Make it quick. I really must be going."

She could not help the disgust tone in her voice. In response, Sebastian pulled her closer to him.

"Now, now, no need to be rude," he said softly. "It will only take a moment if you just cooperate..."

He paused for a moment.

"...my lady shinigami."

There was a long silence. Pushing him back, Lucinda got herself out of Sebastian's grip and turned to face him. She took off her hat, making sure that he could see her furious yellow-green eyes. Sebastian smirked.

"Ah, did I anger you with that comment? I am terribly sorry."

A curious look appeared in his eyes as he studied Lucinda.

"I am surprised, however, that you have survived in the human realm this long, considering how well isolated and protected the grim reapers keep their females."

His eyes glowed.

"After all, you are the dear lady that was following us the day my master, Madam Red, and Lau left Undertaker's parlor, correct?"

Lucinda narrowed her eyes, though her heart stopped for a second at that last sentence.

"...So you knew about me for that long, and yet you refused to act?" she questioned. "You allowed the enemy of your kind walk freely without coming in contact with them?"

Sebastian chuckled softly.

"Just because demons and the shinigami have been enemies for as long as one can remember, that does not mean I must mindlessly hunt them down. Unless I thought you were a threat to my master or my master ordered me to kill you, there was no need."

"Oh _how_ civil of you!"

Lucinda glared into his eyes.

"Don't think for a second that I'm not afraid to kill you. I'm just as deadly as any other grim reaper. I am not to be messed with!"

Sebastian let out a heavy sigh.

"And you've completely ignored everything I just said. I can see that you are just as thickheaded as any other grim reaper I've come across..."

He made eye contact.

"So long as you don't get in my master's way, there is no need for our paths to come across and there is no need for unnecessary killing. It can be _so_ untidy."

"You're one to talk, you savage demon!"

Sebastian narrowed his eyes.

"Let me finish, lady shinigami. I just want to know a few things, and then I will let you go. I hope you can do a simple request as that."

Lucinda crossed her arms, wanting nothing more than to strike Sebastian down where he stood. But the moment she'd attack and cause loud racket, they would be spotted by the circus, and the last thing she needed was to draw unnecessary attention to herself. But she saw Ciel Phantomhive's name in that letter, it was certain that this wouldn't be the last time their paths would cross. Another time to slay Sebastian _would_ present itself.

_One that Undertaker won't know about..._

"...Fine," Lucinda finally said, her voice deathly cold. "But make it quick, before we are caught."

Sebastian nodded.

"Of course."

He paused for a second.

"What brings you here to the human realm? I may not be the most knowledgeable of your kind, but I know that they wouldn't just let a woman be out here like this."

"Let's just leave at this," Lucinda said, "I didn't like being in the shinigami realm, so I ran away. I'm rogue, but it does not mean I still highly value our principles or duty."

Sebastian gave a small grin.

"Ah, I see. Most interesting..."

His grin faded away.

"And now for the more important question. What is your purpose here and why are you staying with a mortal like the Undertaker?"

Lucinda blinked.

"...I'm here because I want to be a true shinigami and capture human souls," she answered. "You must know that women grim reapers are not allowed, which is why I'm on my own. As for Undertaker, he provides me a place to stay and rest, which I greatly appreciate."

She narrowed her eyes.

"Though I don't see why me staying with him is any of your business."

"It may not be, but it doesn't mean I'm not curious," Sebastian replied, his voice emotionless. "The Undertaker is not a normal human, and I doubt he would just let anyone stay with him unless they are able to give him... _special_ benefits."

Lucinda's eyes widened.

"W- _what_!?"

Her face grew red, her rage building up to its boiling point.

"I will let you know that I have more dignity than _that_!" she exclaimed. "I...I should...!"

Sebastian smirked, laughing softly.

"My my, did I hit a sensitive spot. I will say, for a crazy old man like Undertaker to get a woman as attractive as you..."

His eyes glowed blood-red.

"You must have been _really_ desperate to-"

" _Shut up_!"

Unable to control herself, Lucinda attempted to punch Sebastian in the face, but before she could lay a hand on him, he caught a hold of her fist.

"You're getting a little loud, lady shinigami," he whispered. "You're going to get us caught."

Lucinda growled, her arm shaking with rage. Sebastian smiled.

"I hate to end this 'wonderful' little chat, but I must get back to my master."

He slowly began to step away.

"Goodbye, Miss Harrowine."

He then let go of her fist and walked calmly away, leaving Lucinda to her ever growing hatred.


	19. Chapter 18

Around midnight, Undertaker slowly came out the dark abyss of his workroom, closing the door quickly and leaning against it. His legs struggled to keep himself up, his black clothing covered in blood as he panted heavily. His ears echoed with the sounds of inhuman screams, cries that would make even a demon freeze with terror and horror.

This...experiment, he thought, it had gone _so_ wrong, so much more than any past ones! This one test subject...so much inner strength, that even with his soul gone, he was still willing to fight back... It almost killed him, as Undertaker had to destroy his creation with his death scythe. It took so much energy, it could have ended him...

And yet Undertaker smiled.

_What most unusual results! So responsive and_ strong _in movement..._

Undertaker's thoughts went wild with scientific thought, his heart pounding with the amazing discovery he had made. He couldn't wait to get started again! To see if another test subject reacted the same way.

_But that will have to wait until Lucy is out of the house again for a long period of time..._

Speaking of Lucinda, Undertaker guessed that she would be getting home soon. Time usually went by so fast when he was working, so he had no doubt that her time at the circus would be over. As he went to a small closet to change out of his bloody clothes, Undertaker wondered how Lucinda's assignment went.

Was she able to locate the missing children, or even find an opportunity to capture her first soul? Were there any other shinigami to worry about, was she able to keep herself away from Sebastian? The idea of Lucinda getting herself into trouble made Undertaker frown with worry. Though a part of him wanted to observe her progress and make sure nothing bad happened to her, but as her mentor, he knew the _only_ way for her to grow stronger was to figure things out for herself. To become independent and survive on her own. He could not be by her side all the time, he could not shield her from danger forever, for she will eventually be on her own.

Undertaker froze for a second.

The thought had not occurred to him before. One day, there would be nothing more he could teach her, and she would be more then capable to being on her own. She could then have the option to go somewhere where the grim reapers of Great Britain and Europe would never find her. Where she would _leave_ him. Forever.

There was a long silence, Undertaker standing completely still, now in fresh clothes.

How... _how_ could he let her go? How could he let go of Lucinda, his apprentice and friend, the person who made interacting with the living worthwhile. The person who he had grown to adore and...

_Why must I torture myself like this? I barely recovered from losing Claudia, how can I-_

His thoughts were cut off as he heard the front door open. Undertaker quickly made his way to the front the parlor, where he saw Lucinda coming in. Lucinda threw her hat to the ground, her posture, expression, and eyes revealing an intense anger that he had never seen before.

"Are you alright, m'dear?" Undertaker asked.

Lucinda looked up at him before quickly looking away.

"...I'm fine."

Like she was swallowing her overwhelming emotions, Lucinda sat on top of one of the coffins. She quickly picked her hat up and clutched tightly in her hands, as if releasing her anger little by little. Undertaker slowly approached her, giving a curious look.

"What happened, Lucy dear? By your anger, I assume it has something to do with Sebastian?"

Lucinda kept her eyes on the crunched up hat.

"...I rather not talk about it," she said softly. "But I did find some interesting things at the circus."

Changing the subject, Lucinda described to Undertaker what she found at the Noah's Ark Circus, from the repetitive picture of the middle-aged man to finding personal information about Earl Phantomhive. Undertaker was shocked upon hearing that, for what purpose could a circus want with the young earl?

_But how they got that information is the bigger question..._

"If I have any chance of reaping any souls, my best bet is to keep an eye on Ciel Phantomhive," Lucinda concluded. "With that demon of his around, anyone who dares to lay one finger on its prey will die. And there will be my chance."

She narrowed her eyes, a dark look clouding them. Undertaker took a moment to reply.

"...Perhaps, but I believe there is another way."

Lucinda blinked.

"Like what?"

"If you keep your eye on the circus, you are more likely to get more accurate information," Undertaker explained. "From what I've heard of them, nothing but death surrounds that circus. Stay near them, and I can assure you will find a soul to reap."

He gave a crooked smile.

"Besides, the further away you are from that demon, the better. For he has found out about you, hasn't he?"

Lucinda's eyes widened, but she quickly regained her composure, looking down at the ground. Undertaker laughed softly.

"You cannot afford your anger and hatred to control your decisions, m'dear. That is the number one rule of a grim reaper."

He gently put two of his fingernails underneath her chin, lifting her head to where she met his hidden gaze.

"You cannot allow your emotions, whether it is compassion or revenge, to cloud your judgment."

Lucinda remained silent, her eyes staring deeply into Undertaker. They stayed like they were for a long moment, both refusing to look away from the other. Undertaker could feel his body wanting to sway closer to her, a strong longing to feel her, feel her touch. Smiling nervously, he forced himself to pull back.

"You should get some rest, Lucy dear," Undertaker said. "You've been so good about finding the time to rest, I shouldn't mess it up by lecturing."

"...Yeah..."

Lucinda stood up.

"However before I retire, I...want to ask you something."

Undertaker raised an eyebrow. Lucinda sighed.

"You have done so much for me these past months, so much that I can never hope to repay you," she explained, her voice heavy with emotion. "You have also never asked anything from me, and I can bet training me is no small feat."

Her whole body tensed up.

"...Are you ever expecting any payment from me after this is all over? Or even before? Something that...only I can give."

A long silence filled the air, as it took Undertaker a moment to figure out what she was implying. And when he did, he could feel his whole body tense up and grow warm, his heart rate accelerating.

Where...why would she get an idea like _that_?

Undertaker studied Lucinda, seeing the uneasy, questioning look in her eyes. Undertaker smiled at her.

"...Aside from giving me the amusing joke from time to time, I want nothing else from you," he finally said. "You are one of my best apprentices I've ever trained. What more could I want from you?"

Lucinda blinked, looking surprised. Undertaker laughed, putting his hand on her shoulder.

"Get some rest, m'dear. Dark circles under your eyes don't suit you."

It took moment for Lucinda to reply.

"...Right. Goodnight."

Carefully removing his hand, Lucinda then left the parlor and headed for her room. Undertaker watched her go, and while he smiled brightly on the outside, his heart ached inside.

* * *

_He was lying._

Lucinda closed the door of her bedroom, many thoughts going through her mind.

He was lying.

The way his voice sounded...she could sense a sadness and longing in it. How could she have not seen it sooner? The thought of her and Undertaker's bodies intertwining...it made it hard to breathe.

_Why..._ how _could this happen?_

Small tears fell from Lucinda's eyes. Loneliness, longing, lust, fear, uncertainty...

_"You cannot allow your emotions, whether it is compassion or revenge, to cloud your judgment."_

What was she to do?


	20. Chapter 19

For the next few days, Lucinda made her way back to the circus. She had set camp outside their circus area, knowing that she would have to be around them twenty-four-seven to observe any chance of a soul to reap. For most of the time, she laid in one of the nearby trees, hidden from view as she watched the progress of the humans. Nothing really interesting happened, for these humans were as entertaining to Lucinda as mindless children. However, there were two things that kept her on her guard and held her interest, one of them being Earl Phantomhive and Sebastian posing as new members of the circus.

Watching them pretending to be ordinary humans to join a pitiful circus was a little amusing to Lucinda, seeing that the young earl was struggling so hard was indeed cute. She could not tell however if Sebastian knew of her presence as she watched them. He never made eye contact or gave any indication if he did, but this also could be him playing mind games on her. Games that _she_ intended to win.

But what kept her at bay more than Sebastian was that Lucinda had caught the glimpse of one of the most important shinigami being undercover, at that was William T. Spears. At the first sight of him, Lucinda could feel almost all feeling her body vanish. Though she never met William personally, she knew everything that there was to know about him. He was cruel, ruthless, and emotionless. If he were to catch her, she would be killed on sight by him.

Or worse.

Though it did make her wonder why send William to a job like this, which didn't seem difficult enough to require his high rank. Either the dispatch department had _really_ gone down in staff, or this was going to be an event that would need the strongest of reapers.

As the time past, Lucinda was more than relived that William never spotted her in her hiding place, and grudgingly, she had Sebastian to thank for that. William kept his attention on Sebastian constantly, spending the rest of his waking hours concentrating on the soon to be bloodbath. Was the demon distracting him on purpose? Lucinda could not tell, but Sebastian _must_ know she was here. He was not stupid, and it clawed at her how he was playing with her.

_One day, demon, I will get my chance to sink my death scythe into your demonic flesh..._

Eventually, before Lucinda was about to lose it, something interesting happened. At night, where she had the best time to eavesdropping from outside her tree, she was able to overhear the first tent's plan on invading the Phantomhive manor, where they plan on abduction Ciel Phantomhive. Even though he had been in their grasp the whole time, they were dumb enough not to have seen it. Most of the group was going to the manor and plan the assault, while one of their members, apparently named Doll, went off and report their leader, Joker. He was at the house of the mastermind behind all this, simply known as Father, who Lucinda no doubt believed was the middle-aged man she saw in the photographs.

Even though Earl Phantomhive and his demon were not at their main manor, which was outside of London, for they have gone after the middle-aged man from their own investigating, the circus members were as good as dead. William, Lucinda noticed, was going in the same direction Earl Phantomhive and Sebastian went. That was an excellent note for her, making her job less stressful and without distractions.

_My first soul to reap is just a few hours away..._

In disguised form, she clutched tightly onto her death scythe.

_The time has come for me to put my long months of training to the test._

* * *

As the first troupe of the Noah's Ark Circus made its way to Ciel Phantomhive's manor, Lucinda followed from a safe distance, using her shinigami speed to keep up with them. They rode in the dark English countryside on horseback, a deep silence between them as they went in for the prey. In a way, they were like Lucinda, who eyed their souls as trophies ready to be taken.

Time, it felt, accelerated.

About a mile away, the group got off their horses, heading the rest of the way by foot. In response, Lucinda slowed her pace. Once they finally arrived at the manor, the circus members and Lucinda took in the time to study the elegant mansion. Lucinda was impressed by the dark architecture, the elegant dark beauty and grandness with its dark stone and strong structure. To an ordinary human, it would look like any other old fashion, rich, perfect aristocratic house. But Lucinda could see that it was too perfect, and only a supernatural creature of such perfection could have created it. In other words, this manor was the work of Sebastian.

_I shouldn't be surprised. That demon has probably done everything for the earl._

She clutched her fists tightly, slowly taking out her death scythe. When she finally got herself out of her hate filled thoughts, she then realized that the circus members had already begun their attack.

"Oh, _what_ is this?"

Lucinda felt her blood turned to ice. Quickly turning around, a long red-haired grim reaper approached her, a large grin on his face.

"And just when I've stopped searching for you, here you are, Lucinda Harrowine, in the flesh!" Grell exclaimed. "My dear, you have _no_ idea how much pain you have caused me!"

Lucinda narrowed her eyes, lifting up her scythe in a defensive position.

"Don't you dare come any closer!" she threatened, though her heart pounded in her chest. "I assume you are here to collect the souls of those circus members?"

"Of course, darling. It is my job, after all."

He laughed.

"But what are _you_ doing here, if I may ask? Attempting to reap souls?"

"You dare _mock_ me!"

"I'm not mocking you," he replied with a grin. "Though I wouldn't give me that attitude, if I were you."

Grell walked closer to her, his death scythe nowhere in sight.

"Now, this can end in two ways," he said calmly. "Either I turn you in and give myself _more_ work, or you do me a little favor to where we both benefit. Care to hear me out?"

Lucinda raised an eyebrow.

"Do you take me for a fool?"

Grell shook his head.

"To survive this long on your own without being spotted until now? I can tell that you are no fool," he said. "In fact, your cleverness is to be admire, for us women are always put down."

Us _women?!_

It took all of her self-control not to laugh at the transgender's remark.

"Anyways, back to the point before we run out of time," Grell continued. "I will be blunt when I say that I've...come acquainted with the humans, and nonhumans, who live in this manor. One who is..."

He let out a dreamy, girlish sigh.

"... _quite_ handsome! And I want to see him. However, with all these souls to reap, I may not get my chance, and with you to turn in, then I won't get a chance at all! So, I propose this."

He cleared his throat.

"Take care of the souls here and allow me to go into the manor to hunt for my darling, then I will let you go free of charge. I'll even allow you to keep the souls you capture for an extra bonus! Does that seem like a fair deal to you?"

Lucinda was silent for a long moment, her eyes never leaving Grell's. Her instincts told her that this was some kind of trick, for no official grim reaper would just _allow_ her to go, especially with souls! But no other official grim reaper would talk with her this long; any other would have attempted to capture or kill her by now.

"...Why would you do this?" Lucinda finally questioned, her voice level with suspicion. "I'm a fugitive, why would you risk yourself like this?"

Grell flipped his hair.

"Trust me when I say that I've been in _worse_ trouble then letting a little fugitive like you go. And this may shock you, but I'm not as uptight as others of our kind."

A lustful look glowed in his shinigami eyes.

"Besides, when dear Bassy is concern, _nothing_ else matters! I am willing to risk it for _him_ , and his gorgeous eyes and firm, powerful, strong body..."

He began to drool from the description. Lucinda growled in disgust.

"Get to the point. I rather go back then hear your bloody descriptions of that demon."

"Oh! So you know him!" Grell exclaimed. "Then you _must_ know how hard it is to resist him!"

"Hard to resist? It's a _demon_!"

Grell sighed.

"You sound just like Will... But no matter, I rather not worry about competition."

He smiled.

"So, do we have a deal or what?"

There was a long silence.

"…Alright," Lucinda finally said, taking the chance. "But you must also promise me to never report me either."

Grell nodded.

"If that is what you want. Now if you excuse me, I've got a date to catch!"

He started to skip towards the manor. But before he could get away, Lucinda blocked his path with her death scythe.

"Before you go, I would like to know your name," she said, though it sounded more like a demand. "For future reference."

Grell made eye contact with her and smirked.

"Aggressive, aren't you? No wonder so many people kept their distance from you."

Lucinda narrowed her eyes, making Grell's grin grow.

"My name is Grell Sutcliff. Now, if you would please…"

Lucinda slowly pulled back her scythe. Her eyes soften a little.

"…Thank you for letting me go."

Grell rolled his eyes.

"Don't thank me, dear. Just because I'm not turning you in now, doesn't mean you won't be eventually. They _will_ find you, no matter how good you are at blending in."

He then left, jumping high into the air and breaking into the manor through a second floor window. Not wasting any time, Lucinda rushed further towards the manor.

And right there, in front of her, laid one of the circus members face down on the front lawn, his body deathly stiff.

Lucinda slowly approached them, her shinigami senses detecting that he was dead. Her hands started to shake, her heart pounding in her chest.

_This is it…_

With the moon reflecting its light from her glasses, Lucinda lifted up her death scythe and then stabbed the blade into the circus member's body.

Immediately upon contact, the cinematic record came out from the corpse, Lucinda using her all her strength and willpower to contain it. This soul was a strong one, his memories flickering before her. A tragic one it was, she had to admit, for the big guy lived in poverty and as an outcast freak, along with most of the other first troupe members of the circus. She couldn't help but pity him, but now he was in the sweet mercy that was death, where he could finally be at peace.

Soon enough, his soul was fully caught, his life now bring more power to her death scythe. Lucinda took in heavy breaths of air, her legs shaking as excitement and joy flowed through her.

Finally, _finally_ she had reaped her first soul!


	21. Chapter 20

As dawn began to light up the dark sky, Lucinda walked into the parlor, finally home from the Phantomhive Manor. Though there was a tired gleam in her gaze, an excited, bright glow was still in them.

"Undertaker, I'm back!" Lucinda exclaimed, her voice full of happiness. "And it was a success! I have reaped my first set of souls!"

Lifting up the lid to one of the coffins, Undertaker sat up and smiled at her.

"Well done, Lucy dear! I knew you could do it."

He got up from the coffin and approached her.

"How many souls were you able to collect? I want to hear all the details."

Lucinda smiled.

"I was able to capture five souls, all members from the circus," she explained. "They were fairly strong souls, but I could sense their fragile breaking point, and I used it to my advantage. They were not too difficult to control, but it did took a lot of energy and focus to capture."

Undertaker nodded.

"I see. Very good. I'm very proud of you."

He studied her for a moment.

"You have come far since I first found you barely fleeing the shinigami realm. You would have made a great member to the soul reaping community, if they had let you join them."

He chuckled.

"Oh well, it's their loss!"

"Yeah..."

There was a small silence.

"...Though my soul reaping was a success, it didn't go all that smoothly at first," Lucinda said, her voice now turning serious. "While I was out, I was caught by one of the grim reapers."

Undertaker frowned.

"Oh really? What happened?"

Taking a deep breath of air, Lucinda fully explained Grell confronting her and the deal he made with her. From what she had seen of him, she also mentioned that Grell was the same red wearing shinigami that Undertaker had met before.

"Though I was able to convince him to leave me alone, I won't be so lucky next time," Lucinda concluded. "Even if I am careful, the moment I go looking for souls, I will run into another grim reaper. And even if I don't, they could tract me down and put you in danger."

She sighed.

"The longer I'm in London, or even in Europe, the more likely you and I could be found out. Perhaps..."

She paused.

"...I should be thinking about continuing my training somewhere else, somewhere the grim reapers here won't ever find me."

Undertaker was silent for a long moment.

"...I do see your point," he finally replied. "But where would you go? I cannot train you anywhere else but here, because of my job, and I do not know of any other grim reapers outside our realm who could train you."

"I know this is a lot to ask," Lucinda mentioned, "but why not try getting me in touch with Adrian Crevan? You said you know him well and he hasn't been seen by the shinigami community in centuries. I could get all the training I need, and also be safe from the grim reapers, while not endangering you."

Undertaker's mouth twitched as he tried to form a smile.

"Eh he...contacting Adrian Crevan won't be necessary, m'dear. I..."

He struggled to find his words. There was a long, uneasy silence, Lucinda waiting patiently for Undertaker to continued.

"...Tell me, m'dear, do you _really_ want to leave London?" Undertaker finally asked. "Without thinking about everything else, _do_ you really wish to continue your training elsewhere?"

Lucinda blinked, as if surprised by the question.

"I..."

Her heart skipped a beat, as many complicated thoughts went through her mind, including questions that she had over past events between her and Undertaker.

_Did_ she want to leave, _could_ she leave? Even with her fears, she could not deny that she felt a strong bond with Undertaker, her mentor and friend. She had already lost Ronald, did she want to lose Undertaker as well? The more she thought about it, the more painful it felt.

_It's for his own good if I leave, he would be safe and would not have to worry about anything. And yet I..._

There was a long silence.

"...No, not really."

She met Undertaker's hidden gaze.

"I've come to really like it here, and leaving London would be extremely difficult to do. London, this parlor, has become my home and I would hate to have it go away."

_And...I can't afford lose you._

While Undertaker used all his self-control to hide his emotions, a large smile made its way across his face.

"He he... I'm glad you think that way, for you are welcome to stay here as _long_ as you like..."

He laughed softly.

"Though it won't be easy, I will find a way to make this work. I have lived in London for centuries without being caught and I can make sure you do the same. Nothing will come between us."

He paused, realizing what he just implied. He laughed nervously.

"...Along with you realizing your dream. Maybe if you tracked down this Grell Sutcliff fellow, you could use him as a way to hide yourself from the higher ups. He seems like an easy...person to persuade."

Lucinda laughed slightly.

"From what I've seen. Maybe you're right. There might be a way for me to stay..."

There was a long, awkward silence, the two of them refusing to look away from the other.

"He he... But for now, why don't you get yourself some rest," Undertaker finally said. "You've earned it."

* * *

"Sutcliff, you disgrace for a shinigami!"

With rage, William hit Grell's head violently with the end of his death scythe, leaving a big bruise on the top of his head. Grell whined, rubbing his head as William glared down at him.

"Do you have _any_ pride for the grim reapers?" he demanded, a cold glare coming from his shinigami gaze. "Many strong souls were to be collected at that manor, and you ruined it!"

Grell whimpered as he looked up at William.

"I know, but, you have to understand Will darling-"

" _Don't_ call me that."

He hit Grell again with his scythe. Ronald, watching the abuse take place, let out a heavy sigh.

"If I may say, Mr. Spears, I don't think causing him brain damage is going to help the issue," he said calmly. "What's done is done, and getting mad about it isn't going to change it."

William glared at him.

"And yet _you're_ not the one paying for it. If you were higher in rank, Knox, you would understand."

Shifting his glasses up, he let out a tired sighed.

"But at least we got most of the souls for tonight. Over a hundred children's souls in one human's mansion, plus two adult souls."

"Quite the work, wasn't it?" Ronald commented.

William nodded.

"And I need to make sure their cinematic records get properly recorded in the Shinigami Library."

He paused.

"You did good, Knox, despite being late. Keep it up."

He turned to Grell.

"And as for you, Sutcliff, be prepared for your punishment tomorrow."

Grell smiled weakly.

"As long as it is by you, Will, I'll be fine with anything."

William sighed in disgust. Using his shinigami powers, he created a portal and went into the shinigami realm, the portal closing behind him.

"You know, that was very idiotic of you, Mr. Sutcliff," Ronald said when William was gone. "It is like you have a death wish."

"What can I say? I have a thing for not following the rules," Grell replied with a simple shrug. "And I also get closer to Will when I do get in trouble, so it is worthwhile."

Ronald raised an eyebrow.

"You do realize the guy despises you, right? You have no hope with him, and even if you did, it would be abusive."

Grell laughed.

"I _like_ my men rough. Though...a little kindness would be welcomed every once and awhile..."

His voice trailed off. Ronald studied him for a moment, trying to get an idea what was going through Grell's mind.

"Well, I'm just telling you. It is up to you whether you listen or not."

He was about to create another portal to the shinigami realm, when Grell suddenly said, "Wait, before you go, you might want to hear this. It is about your friend, Lucinda."

Ronald's eyes widened.

He quickly turned his attention towards Grell, whose face was emotionless.

"I met her at the manor," he explained. "She was hunting for the souls I was assigned to collect, and from the looks of it, in perfect health."

Ronald blinked.

Lucinda...she was alive?! A part of him felt relieved that she was alright, but another part questioned how she survived this long.

"Was she alone?" he asked. "Is she staying at the manor?"

"No, she isn't staying at the manor," Grell answered truthfully. "But I can assume she is staying in London, but I don't know where."

He walked closer to Ronald.

"From experience, she is more than likely staying with a desperate human. That's what happened when I ran away to the human world. And somehow, she has trained herself how to hunt souls and fight with her death scythe, for she seemed to have had practice."

"But you can't just teach yourself to use a death scythe," Ronald countered. "She must have been taught how to."

_Like from a rogue grim reaper. A deserter._

"It could be possible, but I doubt it," Grell replied. "I think we would have known if a deserter was training a fugitive."

"And yet it has taken this long to find Lucinda."

There was a short silence.

"Believe what you want," Grell finally said. "But I thought you would like to know that she was safe. And that I won't report her."

Ronald raised an eyebrow.

"Not that I want harm to come to my friend, but why let her go?"

"She did not seem like a threat and it would put more work on myself to turn her in, since it looked like she would fight to the death for her freedom. Besides..."

Grell smiled slightly.

"Living with humans means you can free from our society's mad rules and overwhelming expectations. I can relate to her wanting to leave. And since she is not doing anything wrong, why not draw out her little adventure before she is ultimately captured by someone like Will?"

Using his shinigami powers, Grell created a portal to the shinigami realm.

"I will see you later, Ronald Knox."

Winking at him, he then left through the portal.


	22. Chapter 21

With her eyelids lazily trying to keep themselves open, Lucinda sat beside one of the few windows of the parlor, staring into the distance. It has been months since her incident with Grell and her first soul reaping, as winter had now transformed into spring. She had yet to see any activity from the shinigami, however, for she had done her best to keep a low profile, minimizing her training activity and making sure none of her grim reaper traits were seen outside the parlor. While a part of her was relieved that Grell had kept his word, another part of her dreaded the dull, less exciting blandness of keeping her cover. She missed the constant battle training, and ever since her first soul reaping, she _longed_ to go out and do it again!

But...it was not all that bad, despite her boredom.

Coming out of the workroom, Undertaker saw Lucinda by the window. He gave a small, sympathetic smile.

"You seem a little lost, Lucy dear," Undertaker said as he approached her. "Without your training, you don't know what to do with yourself."

At the sound of his voice, Lucinda turned towards him.

"I...well, there isn't really much to do," she confessed, trying to make it sound like it's no big deal. "I've already cleaned up the parlor, so I'm just taking a break by looking out the window."

She got up from her chair and walked towards the middle of the room.

"So, how was your last guest? You seemed to have cleaned him up rather quickly."

Undertaker chuckled.

"He was not a hard one to clean. Besides, it strains my eyes to be in that dark room for so long."

Lucinda smirked.

"Every day, it's like you come up with a new excuse not to work. I used not see you at all, and now you are up here talking to me all the time."

She paused.

"...You're not becoming ill, are you?"

Undertaker grinned.

"And yet _someone_ has to keep an eye on you. Make sure you don't go after Michaelis if he and Earl Phantomhive were to come by while my back is turned..."

Lucinda gasped.

"It's not my fault that it keeps showing up with its little earl! And you saw it playing dead last month after that murderous party Earl Phantomhive had! I could have ended it right then and there...and _you_ just had to stop me!"

She crossed her arms, pouting playfully as she turned her back towards him.

"I'm _completely_ offended!"

Undertaker laughed softly.

"Oh dear. Did I hit a sensitive topic, my dear lady?"

Giggling to himself, Undertaker slowly walked up towards Lucinda. Lucinda saw him coming from the corner of her eye, but refused to acknowledge that he was there. Slowly, Undertaker put his arms around her waist and pulled her close to him.

"Can I ever get you to forgive me?"

Lucinda couldn't hide her blush, groaning to herself as Undertaker giggled.

" _Undertaker_..."

She sighed heavily.

"... _Fine_ , I forgive you. Happy now?"

Undertaker rested his chin on her shoulder.

"He he. I'm always happy around you, m'dear."

Gently, he started to pull back some stray hairs behind her ear.

"And I hope you feel the same."

Lucinda slowly smiled.

"...I do."

There was a long silence, the two of them taking in the moment.

"...I have been meaning to tell you this for a few days now," Undertaker finally broke the silence, having now pulled back all of Lucinda's stray hairs. "But remember that hospital that had hired me to do some special work regarding their dead patients?"

Lucinda nodded.

"That Karnstein Hospital? Yes, why?"

Undertaker smiled.

" _Well_...apparently they have been trying to develop a new type of medicine for a very deadly disease towards humans, a disease that I've examined the effects of in their dead guests. Rian Stoker, the man in charge of the project, is going to be taking a cruise to America to discuss his ideals to some colleagues, where he also has invited me to come along."

"So...you are going on some kind of business trip?"

"Yes... _but_ it will also be a vacation as well. I will only be needed for a small time, so the rest of the time I'm in America I can do _whatever_ I want..."

Undertaker stretched out his words, like he was trying to make what he had to say more dramatic. Lucinda rolled her eyes.

"You know, at times like these I wonder why you never took up acting instead of being a mortician..."

"He he he! Fine, I'll get to the point..."

Undertaker paused for dramatic effect.

"...I also got you a ticket to join me on my trip to America. And while we are there...we can practice soul reaping without having to worry about the European shinigami coming after us."

Lucinda's eyes widened.

"...A-are you serious?!"

She twirled in his arms to where she faced him. Undertaker smiled.

"I take it you like my little gift, Lucy dear?"

"Do I like it?"

Lucinda put her arms around him and hugged him close.

"I _love_ it! I've read so many stories about grim reapers having to reap souls on the close corners of human ships. A race against time as the humans fall one by one by some ruthless disease..."

She gave a dreamy sigh.

"Thank you, Undertaker!"

Undertaker smiled, hugging Lucinda close as he ran a his fingers through her ponytail. A small laugh escaped him.

"He he. I promise you, my dear Lucy, that this cruise will not disappoint you..."

* * *

On the day of the cruise, Lucinda and Undertaker walked up to the boarding area of their ship, the _Campania_. Lucinda's eyes widened in awe at the luxurious, glowing ship.

"Wow...this is amazing!" she exclaimed. "To see a ship like this outside the words of a book... Do all humans travel the sea like this?"

Undertaker chuckled.

"If they've got the money, m'dear. This is one of the finest of human ships, and mostly aristocrats travel on cruise ships like these."

"I see. Guess there are some things humans have that are impressive."

Lucinda turned to him and took his hand.

"Let's get on! I want to see what it is like on board."

Taking a firm grip on her hand, Undertaker and Lucinda made their way closer to the ship. They went past the large crowd, which they had no problem going through since most people who saw them quickly got out of their way, giving them strange looks. Allowing one of the cargo boys to take their suitcases to be put on the ship, Undertaker and Lucinda then made their way onto the ship. Once aboard the deck of the giant ship, Lucinda quickly made her way to the railing, looking out towards the harbor and the view of London. She smiled.

"This is great. Such a grand view..."

Undertaker put his arm around her.

"Just wait till it's night when there is nothing but sea all around us," he said. "It is a sight to behold!"

Lucinda looked up at him.

"I look forward to seeing it," she said happily. "Though, when are you suppose to meet up with that man from the hospital? I'm sure he would want to speak to you before too long."

"He he, it won't be for a few days, m'dear," Undertaker answered, smiling down on her. "Remember this is also a vacation more than anything. The majority of my time will be spent with you."

Lucinda's eyes glowed, giggling softly.

"Just so long as I don't distract you. ...And as long you can keep up with my curious exploration."

Undertaker laughed in reply.

Soon enough, the ship began to undock, the passengers waving goodbye to their loved ones who stayed behind on the dock. A spring breeze blew through the air, the ship taking off towards the Atlantic Ocean in warm, sunny weather.

_The perfect setup to a new adventure,_ Lucinda thought. _Finally, I'll be free to soul reap as I see fit, without worrying about the shinigami!_

"...Lucinda, is that you?!"

Lucinda felt her blood turned to ice. She quickly turned around, her eyes looking straight into Ronald's wide yellow-green eyes.


	23. Chapter 22

" _Ronald_?!"

Getting out of Undertaker's grasp, Lucinda slowly approached Ronald, her eyes wide with shock. She could hardly believe it, her old friend who she never thought she would see again was right here, standing in front of her!

"Lucinda…" Ronald looked just as stunned, if not more. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm…vacationing," Lucinda replied slowly. "I'm going to America."

Her gaze hardened.

"To do some soul reaping without worrying about interference."

Ronald's eyes widened.

"…So what Sutcliff said was true. You really have taught yourself to be a grim reaper."

His shocked expression slowly faded into his usual calm, relaxed state. However, a fire of many emotions burned within his eyes.

"While I'm happy to see that you are unharmed, I can't help but feel suspicious as to how you've managed to train yourself in an art that requires decades of practice."

He turned his attention towards Undertaker.

"And I assume this is the human you've been living off of?"

Undertaker laughed.

"He he he! Oh, how you little grim reapers are _so_ blind to the obvious! He he he!"

Ronald blinked, a puzzled look on his face. Lucinda gave an uneasy smile.

"Yeah… He doesn't look like it, but Undertaker is actually one of us, only retired. It is because of him I've learned how to use my death scythe."

Undertaker smiled.

"And what a brilliant student, Lucy dear is! A true loss to the grim reapers, she is!"

Ronald's mouth fell open.

"' _Lucy dear_?!'"

His eyes quickly moved between Undertaker and Lucinda. Lucinda's face turned bright red, glaring at Undertaker for a split second before turning her attention back to Ronald.

"Eh…perhaps we should go somewhere we can speak more privately… Where they humans can't overhear."

She turned to Undertaker.

"I'll see you later."

She walked up to Ronald.

"Let's go to my room, we'll have the most privacy there. We have much to catch up on."

* * *

Once they arrived at Lucinda's room, conveniently right next to Undertaker's, Lucinda told Ronald all that had happened to her since she left the shinigami realm. Of course, she left out certain details, such as Sebastian and her almost accounter with William T. Spears, but she did describe her training with Undertaker and how strong she had become.

"You cannot imagine how amazing this experience has been for me, Ronald!" Lucinda exclaimed, as she finished explaining everything. "I might never be able to come back to our realm, but at least I have the freedom and adventure that I've always wanted."

Ronald, who was sitting at the front of her bed, gave her a thoughtful look.

"I can't think of the last time I saw you this happy, if at all," he commented. "Perhaps it is a good thing you escaped when you did. At least now I don't have to worry about you getting into trouble with the authorities."

A sad look appeared in Lucinda's gaze.

"It's not like I don't miss home at times, I do. I miss you, the library, and..."

Ronald smirked.

"And that's pretty much it, right?"

He laughed.

"Lucinda, I know you better than that, no need to lie about it."

"I..."

Lucinda avoided eye contact.

"I...I am sorry, Ronald, if I caused you any problems because of what I've done. I can understand if you feel angry with me, but know that I've worried about you since I've left and I hope you can forgive me..."

It took awhile for Ronald to reply, as he could tell this was hard for Lucinda to say. He sighed.

"After the countless of times I've embarrassed you at parties or used you to save me from a test in school, do you really think I have the right to be mad at you for selfish acts?"

He stood up, looking at Lucinda straight in the eye.

"Did you cause me to worry and put a lot of stress in my life? Yes, you did, and I was upset at first. But as time passed...I slowly began to understand why and see that you leaving may have been a good thing for our realm."

Lucinda blinked.

"Come again?"

"After your robbery of the death scythe department and your escape, you kind of began a revolution of some sort," Ronald explained casually. "Many women, and even some men, have been questioning the roles they have been forced to play and are slowly growing in numbers. While most of our kind think you are a madwoman who needs to be taken down, you have sparked the admiration of many people, including some of my old girlfriends."

Lucinda's eyes widened, a strong feeling of shock going through her. While she always wondered what her actions caused on Ronald, never for a minute did she think that she would have an effect on the grim reaper community as a whole.

"I...never imagined I would cause such a stir..."

She was too speechless for words. Ronald laughed.

"Yeah, I'm sure it is a lot to take in. From the way things are going now, it is hard to say how our realm will look within the next millennium."

_The next millennium..._

Lucinda had to lean back against the wall for support, the shock of a revolution _caused_ by her still taking a while to sink in.

"...And though I am overjoyed to see you again and see that you are doing well," Ronald finally said after a moment's pause. "There is one thing I am concerned about..."

Lucinda looked up at him, seemingly puzzled.

"And what would that be?"

Ronald let out a heavy sigh, as if knowing that this was going to be difficult.

"This undertaker fellow that has trained you...what are you to him exactly?"

Lucinda raised an eyebrow.

"I am his apprentice, and he is my mentor and friend."

She narrowed her eyes.

"Ronald... _where_ are you going with this?"

Ronald gave an uneasy laugh, his smirk now a nervous smile.

"Look, I know it isn't really my business, but as your friend, I feel that I need to mention this..."

He cleared his throat.

"Lucinda, I know you have trouble making close friends, but don't you think that this undertaker is while not only old but also...someone you shouldn't get so attached to?"

Feeling a slight heat rise to her face, Lucinda immediately got into a defensive position and crossed her arms.

"While Undertaker and I have become a little more friendly with each other, it is not what you think it is," she said, though her voice shook. "We just have a harmless, friendly relationship, that is all."

Ronald raised an eyebrow.

"Just a 'little' friendly? It is _obvious_ that he is more than a 'little friendly' towards you," he replied. "I saw the way he was holding you by the rail, heard the way his voice sounded when he talked to you and about you. And the fact he called you 'Lucy-'"

"Ronald, it is just a simple little nickname that he gave me when we first met," Lucinda quickly defended. "Trust me when I say that I've _tried_ to get him to stop countless of times but-"

"And yet if I or someone else called you 'Lucy dear' or some pet name like that we would have to feel the angry wrath similar to a demon's."

Ronald looked deeply into Lucinda's eyes, looking unconvinced by her defensive claims.

"Coming from someone who has lots of dating experiences, I _know_ when two people have an interest in each other. And this undertaker shows a _great_ interest in you, one that you simply allow to show."

Lucinda crossed her arms. "A-and what is your point?"

"My point is, though I'm glad you found someone to fond over besides Adrian Crevan, I just think this guy is bad news. The fact you don't seem to even know his _name_ should be an obvious hint!"

"Yet you've only known him for a few minutes, where as I have known him for months, living with him and being around him every day."

Lucinda's gaze soften as she spoke.

"Yes, he is odd and unusual, but he is also kind, wise, and understanding. I owe him all that I have and am right now. He has been as good of friend as well as a teacher."

"One that couldn't also be holding secrets from you? One that couldn't _also_ be working against everything the shinigami stand for by helping humans bring back the dead?"

Lucinda's eyes widened.

"...What?"

Ronald's face was expressionless.

"There have been many reports lately of humans rising from the dead, even when we grim reapers have already taken their cinematic record," he explained. "Grell Sutcliff, who says to know you, and I have been assigned to not only reap the countless of humans who are going to die on this ship in a few days, but investigate the reasons for these so called 'risen corpses.'"

He paused for a moment.

"I have no doubt you are not involved, but your mortician friend is another issue. A retired grim reaper living among humans is a rare case, and for him to be on this boat when a massacre is about to take place..."

Lucinda narrowed her eyes.

"Undertaker is not a part of that. He...he would never do something as despicable as that!"

"And how can you be so sure?" Ronald asked. "I'm not trying to get on your bad side, but it seems suspicious to say the least."

"Well I'm telling you that you are wrong. Something else may be causing the human corpses to rise..."

A picture of Sebastian's arrogant, snakelike smile came into her mind.

"...Like a demon..."

She clutched her fists together. Ronald shrugged his shoulders.

"I doubt a demon would do something like this, it seems too scientific for them to do. And what is the likelihood of a demon actually being on this ship?"

He let out a heavy sigh.

"All I am saying is that you need to be careful around him, for your own sake. I would hate to see you shattered after coming this far."

He made his way to the door.

"From my list, the massacre is suppose to start within two days," Ronald said, giving Lucinda one last look. "I will let you know when to prepare yourself."

With that said, he closed the door and left. Lucinda stared at the door for a long moment, her thoughts all chaotically swirling in her mind from what Ronald said.

Undertaker, involved with a group of humans trying to bring back the dead? That was ridiculously, she wanted to say, and yet a part of her questioned other wise...

"...Your friend is quite a persistent young lad, isn't he?"

Lucinda jumped at the sound of Undertaker's voice, turning around to seeing him coming in from a door that connected their rooms together.

"Sorry to have startled you, m'dear," Undertaker said with a smile. "But I wanted to let you know that I have already picked up our luggage. Your things are setting on top of my bed, if you want to go ahead and get them."

"...Thanks."

She then moved past Undertaker, going into his room and picking up her things.

"Just...how long have you been in here waiting for me to finish my talk with Ronald?" Lucinda asked as she walked back into her room and sat her luggage beside her bed.

"If you are asking how long I've been listening into your conversation," Undertaker replied, noticing her uncomfortable expression, "I've only just entered my room when your friend mentioned about the reanimated corpses. A _very_ interesting topic."

"Yes... Very interesting."

There was a small silence, Lucinda trying to piece her thoughts together.

"Undertaker...if you don't mind me asking," she finally said, "could you tell me just what _exactly_ the hospital you are working for is researching? I know it is some type of human disease, but you never gave me specifics."

It took a moment before Undertaker replied, as he kept his eyes on Lucinda. Slowly, a small smile crept its way onto his lips.

"...While I may or may not know the full intent on the hospital's research, I do know for a fact that humans have always had a strong determination for conquering death," Undertaker finally said. "Humans are such fragile creatures, body and mind, and the thought of prevailing over death has always been an ambition of theirs. We grim reapers know that they can't ever master it, which makes us more superior to them. However...humans have one thing that we shinigami have yet to fully understand ourselves. While they can never understand death, we cannot understand _life_."

He paused for a second.

"You and I both know, Lucy dear, that the shinigami can be dense and blind to things they do not understand, and never try to understand. But if one of us could learn to master the knowledge of _both_ life and death...wouldn't it be very beneficial to the evolution of our species' knowledge and power?"

Lucinda stayed silent, her eyes never leaving Undertaker. Seeing that she wasn't going to give a verbal reply, Undertaker made one last grin and said, "Before you come to conclusions, m'dear, think of all the outcomes one little action can bring before you recklessly decide to go against it."

He then went back into his room.

"I'll let you go now so you can rest before dinner, for it is going to be a very long evening, he he he!"


	24. Chapter 23

As the next two days passed, Lucinda kept her eye out for any signs of the risen corpses Ronald had described. She had explored every inch of the _Campania_ , even the places she was 'not supposed to be,' like the first class lounge, being a second class passenger, and the places where the ship's crew operated and stayed. She had yet to see anything out of the ordinary or see any humans acting strange, but nevertheless, she kept her death scythe close to her. With her investigating, she also kept a close eye on Ronald and Undertaker.

Lucinda saw Ronald from time to time, mostly hanging out at the third class dining hall, wooing the women there, as usual. Though it was clear he had seen her at times, Ronald did not approach her, Lucinda guessing that he wanted to bring less attention to her as possible in case other grim reapers were in the area. Ronald had mentioned that Grell was supposed to be on the ship as well, however Lucinda had yet to see him. Perhaps he was late arriving, or was only coming when the supposed massacre started? It was hard to say.

As for Undertaker, he had yet to say when he had to meet up with members of the hospital, nor give details as to where they were staying on the ship. Lucinda tried to push more questions about the hospital, but Undertaker would avoid the question by distracting her attention to something else.

On the third day on the cruise, early that morning, Lucinda and Undertaker were up before most of the human passengers, walking across the upper deck of the ship. They stopped at the front of the ship, Lucinda taking a hold of Undertaker's arm as they watched the sun rise. Undertaker smiled.

"He he! It has always amazes me, the beauty of something as simple as a sunrise. Many creatures, from humans to shinigami, don't always get the opportunity to witness or enjoy something as it, to appreciate it."

Lucinda said nothing in reply, only resting her head on his shoulder as she listened to him talk.

"In a way," Undertaker continued, "a sunrise and a sunset is like life and death. Both have its mystic and beauty to them, a wondrous quality that would make anyone curious as to see what makes a sunrise, life, so beautiful and unique."

Lucinda tightened her grip on his arm.

"…And while a sunrise might have a luring mystery to it, is it wise to try to solve it?" she questioned. "Some answers cause more harm than good, leaving the mystery best unsolved."

Undertaker chuckled softly.

"And yet how do we know if it is a risk or not if we do not try to find out? What if the ultimate result is worth the sacrifices made to achieve it?"

He looked down at her.

"In a way, your escape from the shinigami is not too different. You took a large risk leaving the life you knew, a number of things could have gone wrong."

He paused.

"And yet was it not worth it in the end?"

Lucinda forced herself to keep her gaze on the fiery sky.

_Just…_ what _are you trying to prove, Undertaker?_

"Ah, there you are Lucinda."

At the sound of Ronald's voice, both Lucinda and Undertaker turned to face him, Lucinda quickly making sure there was space between her and Undertaker. Ronald smirked.

"And yet you claim that you two are nothing more than mentor and student…"

Lucinda clutched her fists, her face red with embarrassment and rage.

" _Ronald_ …"

Undertaker chuckled, but his face too was a little red.

"Were you watching us, little grim reaper?"

Ronald shook his head.

"No, and even the most oblivious of fools could see it without paying close attention. If you two are trying to hide it, you are failing miserably."

Though his voice showed no aggression, a hostile look was in Ronald's gaze. Turning his full attention to Lucinda, his eyes softened in tone.

"I came to warn you that it is going to start today," he said. "Late afternoon, I believe, is when the corpses become active."

Lucinda narrowed her eyes.

"Thank you for letting us know, Ronald."

Ronald smiled.

"I'm only telling him because he just so happens to be with you at the moment. I will be blunt when I say I care little what happens to him."

He met Undertaker's gaze.

"However, before I go, there are two things I would like to say to you, Undertaker."

Lucinda's eyes widened.

_Ronald..._

"I know that it isn't some convenience that you, a retired grim reaper, is on the same ship that is linked to the rising corpses. I don't know what your connection is to it, nor do I not have any physical proof of you being involved with it. But I will be, along with my partner when he... _eventually_ shows up, watching you once it starts. Just because you are retired, does not mean you can operate outside the shinigami law."

Ronald's eyes then suddenly gave a glow of aggression, his voice becoming dangerously low.

"I will also let you know that Lucinda is my friend, one who I've known ever since we were in school. She is like a sister to me, one that I will do whatever I can to protect."

He took a step closer to Undertaker.

"So, _old man_ , if I see you do anything to her, physically or emotionally, I will not hesitate to kill you. Do you understand me?"

Lucinda narrowed her eyes.

"That is unnecessary, Ronald. I _can_ take care of myself, and I _don't_ need you to protect me!"

"I know you can, but I'm just giving him the warning."

Ronald took a step back.

"After all, I recall you having the same instinct towards some of my past girlfriends, Lucinda. Like Marianne, for instance..."

Undertaker chuckled.

"He he he! Friends can become very protective of each other when they feel the other could become hurt, especially when it comes to romantic affairs."

Unexpectedly, Undertaker put his arm protectively around Lucinda, who flinched slightly by his sudden closeness.

"Regardless what may happen today, note that Lucinda will _not_ be harmed. She is perfectly capable to defend herself from a few fragile moving corpses. As her teacher, I know her fighting talents will not fail her."

Undertaker paused for a moment.

"Besides being the best student I've ever had, Lucy is also the best thing that has happened to me in centuries. I could never hurt her even if my life depended on it, and I will do _anything_ for her. Nor will I allow myself to lose her easily."

He gave a crooked smile.

"Do you still doubt my devotion to her, little shinigami, or do you still need more proof?"

There was a long silence, both Ronald and Lucinda staring at Undertaker.

Lucinda was in shock, her heart pounding at Undertaker's words. Never... _never_ in her life did she hear someone take such great loyalty to her. That she, the strange outcast that everyone she ever knew avoided, was worth being with. That she... _meant_ something.

Ronald blinked, looking just as surprised, if not more than Lucinda. After a few moments, he gave a small laugh and smiled.

"Well... I don't know what to say. Can't say I expected to hear _that_."

He made eye contact to Undertaker.

"But no matter, I still standby what I said."

He turned his back on them.

"...Though I do hope you do mean it. For Lucinda's sake."

He then walked away, not bothering to look back. Undertaker snickered.

"We should be getting ready for breakfast, Lucy dear. Shall we head to our rooms?"

He began to make his way off deck. Finally regaining control of herself, Lucinda ran after him.

"Wait, Undertaker!"

She put herself in front of him, blocking his path. They were only a few inches apart, Lucinda glaring at the wall of hair that blocked Undertaker's shinigami eyes.

"...W-what was all of that about? What you said..."

Lucinda struggled to find her words.

"... _Why_ would you say something like that?!"

Undertaker gave a gentle smile.

"Why wouldn't I? I meant every word of it."

He giggled softly. Lucinda shook, tears filling her eyes.

" _How_ can you say that so lightly? Don't you..."

Her voice cracked.

"D-don't you realize _what_ you were implying? That you...you..."

"That I love you?"

Lucinda's heart halted at the sound of those words. Undertaker looked down at her, slowly and gingerly removing the tears from her cheeks.

Leaning in close to her, he gave her a delicate kiss on the lips. Lucinda froze at his touch, and before she knew it, he backed away and silently walked past her.

Lucinda stood where she was for a long moment, her eyes wide with shock as the words 'I love you' rang in her ears.


	25. Chapter 24

As the rest of the morning passed, Lucinda had yet to see Undertaker again. She had looked all over for him, every single corner of the ship, and yet there was no trace of him. Lucinda's heart rate accelerated, as part of her knew that something bad was about to happen. Undertaker, who was always so secretive and full of mind games, wouldn't have just revealed his true feelings out in the open like that. He was warning her of something, he was warning her about the corpses.

And that he was involved.

Once noon had passed, Lucinda went back to her room and changed into her reaper suit, preparing for the worst as she had her death scythe close to her. She paced around the ship, her eyes wide and alert as she waited for the corpses to rise. She studied each of the humans, most who were completely unaware of the upcoming danger, only noticing how inappropriately she was dressed. However, Lucinda did notice some of the humans had more of a stoic appearance to them, in their expressions and movements. They were part of the Karnstein Hospital, who must be the humans who were helping bring the corpses back to the life with Undertaker.

_Undertaker must be with them,_ Lucinda concluded, _and it is going to be impossible to get any information out of them._

But even if she could get information out of them, and if she could get them to bring her to Undertaker and the head of the hospital, _what_ would happen then? Does she go along with Undertaker, who she was forever in his debt, or does she turn on him because of his unforgivable tampering with death? Though it hurt her to think about it, Lucinda knew that this cruise will end with her betraying either her kind and every belief she ever held close to her. Or the man that...claimed to have loved her.

With a battle storming inside of her, it wasn't long till Lucinda sensed that late afternoon had finally come. She was near one of the cargo areas of the ship, where her shinigami hearing was able to pick up a crying sounds that were a mix between a human's cry and an animal's. Lucinda halted, as she immediately recognized it as the sounds she would sometimes hear at night in Undertaker's parlor.

_The corpses are active!_

In a split second, the sound of loud footsteps rushing up the metal stairs from the cargo room grew louder and louder. Soon enough, the humans were able to hear it as well, all movement in the room ceasing. Screeching and crying, the corpses pushed and banged on the weakening steel door to the cargo room. Eventually, the door was forced open, and walking, _living_ , corpses poured out.

The humans screamed, panicking and running for their lives as the corpses instinctively went after them. Lucinda couldn't believe what she was seeing, decaying human bodies, some even falling apart, rampaging and hungering for their living counterpart's flesh. No, _not_ flesh, but souls, for Lucinda guessed that if the corpses have any reason to attack the living humans, it would be for their souls. Though how they were able to sense souls, she could not comprehend how.

Like they could the humans, the corpses were able to sense Lucinda's soul and some of them making an attempt to attack her. Taking out her death scythe's true form, Lucinda did not hold back, slicing off their heads with the long blade of her scythe. Though they fell the moment their heads were removed, more kept coming after her, their movements fast and constant. Eventually, Lucinda found herself overwhelmed, having to force herself to fall back. All around her, the humans were being hunted down, some she could see having their flesh devoured.

_So many humans are going to lose their lives tonight. So many souls to collect._

While she was partly distracted, a group of corpses took that opportunity and surrounded her. Lucinda gasped, quickly responding with her scythe to hold them back. Eventually, beheading them one after another, she was able to kill all the corpses in the room, it, and Lucinda herself, covered in bright red blood.

Lucinda panted heavily, the screams and cries of the corpses and living humans echoing all around her. As if all feeling in her body left her, she slowly made her way to the fallen humans, lifting up her scythe and taking their cinematic records. While more and more humans died as she took the fallen's souls. She even checked some of the corpses, which she found that their souls were completely gone.

Except that attached to their cinematic records, she saw that at the end of their original film, extra scenes were added to make the record endless. And all of them were scenes of Undertaker, dancing ridiculously in a suit with a cane, a large grin on his face. Upon seeing the twisted additions to the cinematic records, she quickly removed her scythe from the corpses, wanting to suppress that image out of her mind.

Once she had collected the human souls, Lucinda left the room and began to search the ship again, slaying down any corpses she came across or collecting any human souls.

_I have to find Undertaker, s_ he repeated to herself. _He is the only one who can stop these abominations before they destroy everything._

* * *

As the humans ran in largely scattered groups, panicking of what has happened at the lower ends of the ship, Undertaker watched from the first class entry hall as the corpses began to enter through.

A small smile was across his face as he watched his experiments, his _Bizarre Dolls_ , act in the most fascinating way possible. Judging by the way they reacted to him when he gave them life again, he was right in that they would hunger more for a human soul than for a shinigami's soul like he had. Completely savage, relying only on sensation of souls as a motivation to move, to balance their never fading cinematic record.

_Everything is going perfectly... Now only to see how well they survive with the same population as humans._

His smile grew, as his heart skipped a beat at the thought of the results. True, it would be hard to collect, but it will be worth it. However one big problem still lingered, and that was what he was going to do with that little grim reaper.

If Ronald was allowed to escape, he and his work will be found out. Lucinda will be found out. Undertaker's grin turned into a frown.

He hated to do it, for this was Lucinda's friend, but he has no choice but to find and kill Ronald. He could imagine Lucinda's reaction, the grief she will feel and the anger she will unleash at him.

_No matter how she will feel, I cannot allow the chance of her being in danger. Or all my hard work._

Taking out his disguised death scythe, Undertaker clutched onto it tightly.

_May she be able to see the light that is me trying to understand life._


	26. Chapter 25

"Well look at that, it's almost time!" Ronald exclaimed as he dodged a fist from coming in contact with his face.

Since the start of the living corpses' riots, Ronald had found him caught in a battle with a demon butler and his little master that had made their way onto the ship. At first glance, he knew that the butler was infamous Sebastian darling that Grell kept talking about, as every time he had an assignment in the London area, Grell would talk nonstop of maybe seeing him. Ronald knew that he would have to do something about the demon, as there was a good chance he would try to devour the souls that would be left for him and Grell to collect. And perhaps even Lucinda, but nevertheless, he had to be dealt with. But he had no idea that it would be that time consuming, as the height of human deaths was about to reach its peak. With Grell nowhere in sight, Ronald had no choice but to abandon his duel with Sebastian. Besides, he still had to search for Undertaker, the root cause for all of this.

_Or at least...the only lead I have._

As Ronald rode away on his death scythe, Sebastian watched with a puzzled expression on his face. Ronald glanced back at him.

"I'm afraid we will have to settle this another day," he called out. "After all I don't want to get more overtime!"

He saluted him.

"Goodbye, 'Sebastian darling!'"

With that, he rode out of the parlor. Immediately, Ronald could see many dead humans lying around in the hall, their clothes and skin torn and bitten, like someone was feasting upon them. As quickly as he could, he took each of their souls, automatically admitting them fit for death without even bothering to watch their cinematic record. He didn't have the time for a proper judging, too much was happening at once and the stakes were too high.

_But I can only do so much by myself. Where the hell is Sutcliff at?!_

* * *

"This is sure a luxury cruise to _die_ for!"

As he _finally_ arrived from the shinigami realm to the _Campania_ , Grell fell from the night sky and sliced a couple of corpses to pieces. His sharp teeth could be seen from his large grin, excitement glowing from his eyes has he wildly killed each corpse that he came across on the front deck. Twirling, running, spinning, and dashing, it didn't take long for him to kill them all, red stains covering the wooden flooring and himself.

"Grell Sutcliff?"

Grell blinked at the sound of his name, turning around to see Lucinda.

"Well...fancy meeting you here," he remarked.

They slowly approached each other, both having their death scythes in hand. Grell smiled.

"You know, I'm not surprised to see you here, Lucinda. When I heard this job had walking corpses involved, something told me I would see you here."

Lucinda narrowed her eyes.

"So, I'm assuming you just got here?"

Grell nodded. "Yes, and just how long has this been going on?"

"Hours now," Lucinda answered. "It started late this afternoon, and I've been killing corpses and collecting as many souls as I can. I haven't seen Ronald, but I'm sure he is doing the same."

_Or going after Undertaker._

"Ah, I see," Grell replied. "So you two have reunited?"

"...In a matter of speaking."

"Glad to hear! He has been worried about you, you know."

He then set his death scythe's blade into one of the corpses, leaning his weight against it.

"So, what do you know about the corpses?"

As quickly and simply as she could, Lucinda explained the situation to Grell and what she had seen and noticed about the corpses. However, she left out any parts of Undertaker's involvement, as a part of her felt...the need to protect his link to them as long as possible. Once she finished, Grell gave a small nod.

"Alright. Since the situation is dire, it would seem that we have no choice but the three of us to work together."

He took out a book from his giant red coat's pocket and flipped through its pages.

"According to the To Die List," Grell said, skimming the pages, "this ship is set to sink in less than an hour because of a collision with an iceberg. What we need to do is find Ronald and get to bottom of this case as fast as we can. If we lose a couple of souls, it won't matter compare to the disaster these corpses could cause. Do you understand?"

Lucinda nodded, her grip tightening on her scythe.

"Yes."

"Good. Now follow me, for we don't have much time. And the sooner we end this walking corpse problem, the more souls we get to collect and the less yelling I will receive."

Picking up his scythe and putting his To Die List away, Grell started to make his way towards the inside of the ship, Lucinda following him closely.

With their combined skills and strengths, the two of them were able to take down many of the corpses at a lightning like pace. Grell rushed through the hallway filled with walking corpses mixed in with the terrified humans, slicing down any who were in his path regardless who they were. Behind him, Lucinda collected souls and kept her eyes out for any signs of stalking corpses, Ronald, or Undertaker. From room to room, hallway to hallway and corner to corner, Grell and Lucinda swept through the middle class section of the ship.

"I must say, I'm very impressed with your skills," Grell commented when he and Lucinda had a moment of peace. "If I hadn't known better, I would say you were in the same profession as Ronald and I."

Lucinda narrowed her eyes, ripping her scythe out of the human whose soul she just collected.

"That's very kind of you," she said. "But you have no idea how much I wish that was true."

Grell gave a small smile.

"I would admit, you would be quite an addition to the dispatch."

He paused.

"...Perhaps, maybe when this is all over, I could put in good word of your work here. Since I know the right people...there could be a chance that I can get you back to the shinigami realm."

Lucinda's eyes widened. She stared at Grell for a long moment, as if she couldn't believe what he had just said.

"...Y-you mean it? Can you truly...?"

Grell nodded.

"Dear, I am the mistress of persuasion! And trust me when I say your assistance in this little deed will not go unnoticed. Besides..."

He gave a large grin.

"It allows me to have you in my debt so that I have less worked to do and more time to go after my darling Will and Bassy! Doesn't that sound like a good deal to you?"

Lucinda gave a small laugh.

"...Maybe. Though you should take your job a little more seriously..."

She laughed again, though her eyes, which were full of so much emotion, never left Grell's. Grell smirked.

"You're welcome. Though don't get used to me being so nice."

He walked passed her.

"Come on. My offer has little use if we don't solve this mystery before it sinks to the bottom of the ocean."

* * *

Panting heavily, Ronald dragged his death scythe through the first class hall of the ship, standing at the center of the room. He was exhausted, from running all across the ship taking souls, killing the walking corpses who now have full control of the ship, while searching for Undertaker, Lucinda, and Grell at the same time. So far, he had yet to see any signs of them, and with a crowded ship this giant, it was almost impossible if he could ever find them.

_This is the most insane overtime I have ever had..._

"And there you are, my little grim reaper!"

Ronald's eyes widened to the sing-song voice that rang in his ears. He quickly looked up at the stairs to see Undertaker, smiling down at him.

"How ironic that I spent the past few hours searching for you all over the ship," Undertaker said as he came down the stairs, "just to find you right back where I started! He he he! It would seem that God, if there is one, has quite the sense of humor!"

Ronald smiled slightly.

"Ha! Indeed if you were searching for me while I was searching for you at the same time."

He watched Undertaker carefully as he came down the stairs, to where soon they were at the same eye level. Ronald's grip on his death scythe tightened.

"If you were looking for me, then I was right to say you are the cause of the risen corpses, and that you know what is to happen next."

Undertaker gave a crooked smile.

"That you will turn me in to the shinigami or even kill me."

He laughed.

"You are a very amusing fellow. Too bad I cannot convince you the good that can come from these dolls..."

"Nothing good can come from trying to mess with death," Ronald replied with slight disgust. "As a grim reaper, you should know that."

"Should I?" Undertaker questioned, his voice rising in pitch slightly. "Just because I was born a death god automatically means I must submit myself to endless death, decay, and destruction? To replace emotion with sole cold logic and not try any attempt to understand more than the suffocating, never changing, fact that is death?"

He chuckled softly.

"You ignorant child. You have yet to truly see how repetitive and meaningless your life is. Perhaps once you've reached the point to where enough is enough, you will understand the science and appreciation of my work."

There was a long silence between the two, only the sounds of the crying corpses could be heard in the distance. Slowly, a small smile appeared on Ronald's lips.

"...No wonder Lucinda took a fancy to you," he said softly. "You are _just_ like her in almost every way!"

He glared at Undertaker.

"You are mad to think a shinigami's life, no matter how repetitive, is meaningless. And even madder to think that upsetting the balance of life and death is an accomplishment. And you know what? Lucinda, the woman who you claim to care so much for, would be saying the same thing as me."

Undertaker frowned but said nothing in reply. Ronald continued.

"If you want to make things less painful for Lucinda, I suggest that you surrender and make things easy for all of us. If not...then I'm afraid I will have to force you to give up."

He readied his death scythe.

"Which would you prefer?"

It took a moment for Undertaker to reply, as his smile soon returned. He clutched onto his hidden scythe.

"I'm very sad it has come to this, but I must do whatever I can to protect what I've worked on for so long," Undertaker said softly, "and to protect my dear Lucy..."

Taking off his scythe's disguise, it grew in his hands as Undertaker prepared himself for battle. Ronald's eyes grew wide at the sight of the changing scythe, to which its true form was revealed.

"T-that scythe...!" he exclaimed. "It's..."

Undertaker laughed.

"Show me your skills, little grim reaper, as I want a full challenging fight if I am to truly enjoy it!"


	27. Chapter 26

Going up a fleet of stairs, Lucinda and Grell rushed to the second class level of the ship. The hallway they were in was disserted, bodies littering the floors and blood stains all over the walls. There were no signs or sounds of any corpses in the area, or live humans for that matter. Lucinda scanned the area.

"Should we split up from here and see we can find anyone in the first class area?" she asked out of breath. "We are most likely to find some answers there than anywhere else."

Grell shook his head.

"At this point, anyone who is responsible could be anywhere on the ship. And splitting up could be the worse decision to make at this point."

He turned to face her.

"We'll continue to operate like we were before and just hope that something goes right for us. Just follow my lead and back me up in case we get overwhelmed."

Lucinda nodded. "Alright, but-"

She was cut off as a large crashing noise could be heard above them. Grell and Lucinda looked up, their bodies stiff as they could hear more and more loud footsteps.

"What is that?" Lucinda asked, her eyes wide. "Is that a fight going on up there?"

Grell shrugged his shoulders.

"It could be. Though it doesn't sound like anything the corpses were making. Are some humans brawling over something? Perhaps someone has betrayed the culprits behind this whole thing or-"

He suddenly cut himself off as his gaze looked behind Lucinda. His eyes grew wide as a faint blush appeared on his cheeks.

"It…it couldn't be!" Grell exclaimed. "It _is_!"

"It's _what_?"

Lucinda quickly turned around to see a butler dressed in black rush down the hallway at an unnatural human speed. Even though she was looking at his back, Lucinda knew right away that it was Sebastian, for she would know the demon's figure anywhere.

_That repulsive creature… Of course_ it _would be here!_

"Oh dear Bassy! Wait for me!"

Without warning, Grell suddenly went in the same direction as Sebastian, frolicking almost. Lucinda gasped.

"Grell, come back!"

She quickly ran after him. She chased them until they reached the second class dining hall, where Sebastian unexpectedly ran inside. Grell immediately followed him, however Lucinda slowed her pace. She cautiously walked over to the edge of the open door, where to her surprised, she saw the girl she met at the viscount's party, Elizabeth, standing next to Sebastian who held Earl Phantomhive in his arms. Grell stood in front of Sebastian, flaunting over him and making a fool of himself.

"Oh, my dear Sebastian darling, it has been _so_ long since we last saw each other!" Grell cried out all dramatic like. "Long have I wanted to see you again, feel your devilish gaze upon me…"

Sebastian's right eye twitch.

"What an unfortunate convenience it has been today. Out of all the grim reapers out here, it had to be you."

His gaze then traveled behind Grell to see Lucinda. Sebastian smirked.

"However…it is a more welcoming convenience to see you here, my lady shinigami."

Lucinda narrowed her eyes. Earl Phantomhive and Elizabeth also turned to face her, their eyes with shock.

"It's you!" Elizabeth cried. "I know you from the Viscount of Druitt's party!"

"I should have guessed you would have been here too," Earl Phantomhive remarked calmly. "Since I saw Undertaker here earlier, it would only make sense that you would be."

Ordering Sebastian to set him down, the young earl approached Lucinda.

"Did I hear my butler right when he called you a shinigami?" he asked, not a trance of emotion in his voice. "Are you of the same kind as that thing over there?"

He gestured toward Grell's direction, who gave a large gasp.

"How dare you call a lady a 'thing!'" he snapped.

"Quiet," Sebastian replied, hitting him hard on the arm.

However, Earl Phantomhive and Lucinda ignored them. Lucinda narrowed her eyes.

"…No point in lying since your beast for a slave has revealed my true identity," she said. "Yes, I am a grim reaper, however I am as of right now rogue and do not work under the same rules as Grell does. But for now, we are working together to get to the bottom of this walking corpse mystery."

"I see, so you claim."

The young earl studied Lucinda for a moment.

"Tell me, does Undertaker know who you truly are and why would a being such as yourself be doing with a mortician? And since I saw Undertaker with the men who have caused these walking corpses, are you as well part of the Aurora Society?"

"No," Lucinda answered, "I have nothing to do with the corpses. I wouldn't do something has vile as try to bring the dead back to life."

She met Sebastian's gaze.

"However, same couldn't be said for a demon."

Sebastian smiled.

"Are you accusing me of all this?"

He chuckled.

"I am flattered, my charming lady."

"Don't you dare call me 'charming!'"

She ran up to her and aimed her scythe at his chest, causing Elizabeth to scream and Grell to flinch.

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't destroy you, along with the rest of the corpses here!"

Sebastian gave an amused look.

"My, your temper has changed in the slightest," he said as he gently moved the blade away from him. "And unless you want to deal with the scarring you will leave on my poor master and his fiancée, I suggest that it would be your best interest to keep me alive."

Lucinda growled, her hands shaking with pure rage. Grell glared at her.

"Hey, you keep your hands of my Bassy!" he shouted. "He's _mine_!"

"I don't care if it is yours or not!" Lucinda snapped. "So long as the arrogant smirk is cut off from its face, I don't bloody give a damn!"

"Will you all stop it!"

Everyone turned their attention to Elizabeth, whose soaking wet clothing caused her to shake.

"Stop it, all of you!" she screamed, her eyes filled with tears. "We shouldn't be battling among ourselves when there are monsters trying to kill us! So please, stop fighting!"

There was a short silence, Grell, Lucinda, and Sebastian looking down at her.

"Lizzy's right," Earl Phantomhive said, approaching the group. "We are only wasting time just fighting like this. Sebastian, I order you to take Lizzy and-"

He was interrupted as a large group of the corpses rushed into the dining room, charging at them. Elizabeth screamed, Earl Phantomhive quickly coming to her side as Sebastian, Lucinda, and Grell fought of the corpses.

Taking down multiple enemies at once with the long blade of her scythe, Lucinda was able to behead many of the corpses while Grell chopped a corpse at a time into little pieces. Sebastian, single handedly, destroyed the corpses' skulls he came across with his bare hands, demonstrating the demotic strength he processed. With the three working together, they were able to kill off all the corpses in a short amount of time. Lucinda then ran out to the hallway, checking both ends of it.

"There are no more corpses coming," she declared, "but it won't be long until more arrive."

"And we are wasting time just standing here," Grell added.

He turned to face Sebastian.

"Though it pains to have us part, I'm afraid this is goodbye, dear Bassy."

Giving him a small kiss on the cheek, he walked up to join Lucinda. But before they could leave, Earl Phantomhive exclaimed, "Wait! If you think I'm going to let you two out of my sight, then you are sadly mistaken."

Both Lucinda and Grell turned to face him.

"You will gain nothing from interrogating us," Lucinda said coldly. "And though there is nothing more I want to do then behead that demon of yours, little earl, we cannot afford to doddle here."

_I have to find Undertaker before it is too late!_

"And yet we would also have a better time succeeding if we work together."

Sebastian took a step closer to the grim reapers, though his eyes remained only on Lucinda.

"We have the same goal in mind, and we will be able to cover more ground if we work together. Consider the consequences if we don't."

There was a long silence, Lucinda and Sebastian refusing to remove eye contact.

_If that demon thinks I would willingly work with it…_

"…You do have a point, my dear Sebastian darling," Grell finally said with a small smile. "I'm already working with a fugitive, so why not a devilishly handsome demon?"

Lucinda clutched tightly to her scythe.

"Not even if my life depended on it would I even consider working with you!" she spat harshly.

Grell looked at her and sighed heavily.

"Dear, have your pride back down. It is no difference between working with you and working with him."

Lucinda glared at him.

"There is a _big_ difference! Just like there is a difference between the living and the dead!"

Grell looked like he was about to argue with her, but before he could speak, the sound of an enormous crash came from the first class level. Lucinda, Grell, and Sebastian stiffened, hearing the very delicate cracks from the floor above.

That loud crash and damage could only be caused by the intense power of a supernatural creature who was in a brawl with a creature of equal strength. Like the strength of two shinigami.

_Ronald, Undertaker..._

With her mind spinning, Lucinda took off towards the direction of the stairs.

"Huh? Lucinda, _where_ are you going?!"

Grell rushed after her, and Sebastian was ordered to do the same by Earl Phantomhive as the sounds of a new wave of corpses growled in the distance. As Lucinda drew closer to the second class hall, the noises from the fight above intensified and grew louder. But once she reached the stairs that lead up to the first class hall, there was a sudden sound of glass shattering. Lucinda froze for a second, a heart stopping silence now replacing the sounds of the fight.

"By God, you run fast!"

Grell ran up to Lucinda, completely out of breath.

"What is with you all of sudden?" he questioned as he caught his breath. "What are you so afraid of?"

Lucinda said nothing in reply, acting like he wasn't even there. Slowly, she began to make her way up the stairs, her death scythe at ready. Picking up the pace as she took each step, Lucinda soon found herself at the top of the staircase, now at the first class hall. Her eyes grew wide.

With shattered glass from the ceiling scattered all over the place, in the middle of the hall laid Ronald on his back. He was badly beaten up, his clothes torn up and his face badly bruised and cut. His glasses were cracked, but his gaze burned strong. He held his death scythe close to his chest, using it to protect himself from Undertaker, who stood above him.

With his foot on top of Ronald's scythe, pinning him to the ground, Undertaker held his death scythe above his head, ready to strike. His scythe was in the form of a traditional scythe much like her own, only its base had a pale bone color with a the upper half of a human skeleton at the base of the blade and a crown of thorns wrapped around the human's skull.

Lucinda took in every detail she could see of her mentor, her heart stopping in her chest.

Undertaker's wild silver hair was now mostly pulled back, his bangs no longer hiding his face, his eyes. His eyes, who's exotic, powerful, commanding yellow-green gaze burned into any soul who they came within their sight. It was that deadly hunter's gaze that she first fell in love with through the pages of a high school textbook.

They were the eyes of her hero, the great shinigami Adrian Crevan.


	28. Chapter 27

"It has been fun, my little grim reaper," Undertaker said with a large, twisted smile. "But it is over."

He began to make the final blow.

" _No_!"

Before Undertaker's blade could stab itself into Ronald's skull, Lucinda rushed over and blocked his attack. Both Ronald and Undertaker's eyes widened.

"L-Lucinda!" Ronald exclaimed.

Undertaker said nothing, his eyes staring straight into Lucinda's. He loosen his grip on his scythe, backing away slowly so that they could see eye to eye.

" _What_ do you think you are doing?!" Lucinda shouted, her voice cracking with uncontrollable emotion. "Are you mad!?"

Undertaker gave a small smile.

"It had to be done, m'dear. He knew our secret and he was going to expose us if he was permitted to live."

From the corner of her eye, she saw Grell come in and rush to Ronald's side. It was hard to tell if Undertaker noticed, with his attention seemly only on herself, but she needed to keep him distracted as long as possible.

"Ronald would never expose us," Lucinda replied. "That is of course...till your corpses began to run lose, in which he had perfect right to stop you!"

Undertaker did not reply right away, his expression seeming distant. Lucinda waited anxiously a reply, but yet no answer came, and it caused her to shake with frustration.

_Why won't you say anything!_

Unexpectedly, Undertaker moved closer to her. Lucinda's eyes widened as he gently raised his hand and stroked her blood cover cheek.

"I can see that you are upset, Lucinda my love," Undertaker said softly. "But things cannot go back to what they once were. And you cannot have divided loyalties to your past relations with the shinigami realm and the freedoms you have now."

Lucinda's whole body started to shake, tears threatening to form in her eyes. His voice... _why_ did it have to sound so caring, so gentle and loving?

"I know it hurts now, but would you rather him not suffer an endless, imprisoned life of a shinigami, one that you will have to fight as an enemy? Or a friend who you cherished to be in the safety of death to be later resurrected when I finally conquer it?"

"B-but you _cannot_ conquer death!"

Lucinda wanted to break free from Undertaker hold on her, to get away from the affection he was showing her. But...she could not break away, her heart couldn't make herself do it.

"You cannot control death or make someone come back from the dead!" she cried. "Death is permanent and we grim reapers are the ones to enforce it! Death _is_ a part of us!"

Undertaker shook his head.

"No. No being, whether mortal or not, is forced to play the sole called 'role' we were born into. I want to explore beyond the realm of just presenting death and sorrow. To expand upon it. And you...you, m'dear, wanted to be so much more than a supporter, a wife, and loyal follower."

A single tear fell from Lucinda's right eye.

"Alright, I've heard enough!"

With Ronald out of danger, Grell aimed his death scythe right at Undertaker. He narrowed his eyes.

"Step away from her, deserter. You have _a lot_ of explaining to do!"

Undertaker glanced over at Grell's direction, a look of amusement on his face.

"You call me a deserter, but yet are you any better than I?"

Grell sneered. "What are you talking about?!"

"He he! Have you already forgotten your own little rebellion from the shinigami realm?" Undertaker asked. "When you were the quiet butler to dear Madam Angelina Dalles?"

Grell's face paled.

"H-how..."

His eyes widened.

"Y-your that...!"

His attention darted between him and Lucinda.

"And you...you _lied_ to me when you said you didn't know her!"

Undertaker chuckled.

"Took you that long to figure it out? It is obvious that you are not the brightest of grim reapers. Perhaps that might have been a reason why you left and then so quickly returned."

Grell shook with rage.

"Stop it with your mind games!"

Ronald limped over towards them, leaning forward on his death scythe for support.

"It is three against one, Undertaker," he said with heavy breaths of air. "You're finished."

"Oh am I?"

Undertaker took a few steps back from them, as Ronald, Grell, and Lucinda watched his every move.

"If your unity is so strong, if you truly wish to stay ignorant on the research that can reshape the shinigami way of life, then attack me right now. Hunt and attempt to capture me as if this were a mindless rabbit hunt!"

His eyes locked onto Lucinda's as he waited for their response. Under his intense gaze, Lucinda felt her legs become weak, her heart about to break. Grell readied his death scythe.

"Then a rabbit hunt it shall be!" he exclaimed. "In which I dye the rabbit in a lovely shade of red!"

He then charged straight at Undertaker, when suddenly, Lucinda used the handle of her death scythe to hit Grell's side, causing to lose his balance. He dropped his scythe, fumbling to keep himself from falling. Once he regained composure, Grell turned to her.

"What do you think you are doing?!" he exclaimed in shock.

Lucinda did not reply right away, as she took in heavy breaths of air for the tears she could no longer hold back.

"...I-I _can't_ let you take him in," she finally said, sobbing. "I _can't_ let you kill him..."

Grell blinked. "W-what...?"

Ronald, who looked just as surprised, tried to hide his shock by gently placing his hand on her shoulder.

"Lucinda...I know this must be hard for you," he said, trying to make her see reason. "You are emotional right now, I understand that-"

"No. No you _don't_ understand, Ronald."

Shaking him off, Lucinda turned to face both Ronald and Grell, her body standing between them and Undertaker.

"You couldn't _possibly_ understand what I feel right now!" Lucinda exclaimed, her emotions pouring out of her. "You were never treated like a freak of nature all your life, knowing that you never belonged and that everyone was forcing you to become something you are not and will _never_ be! And then you run away, wanting nothing but to escape the prison you were forced to endure all your life, to then find someone who not only saves your life, but who also finally understands you, accepts you, and wants to be with you for who you are! And then to have that same person, who you owe so much to, suddenly turns on everything you believed in..."

She tightened her grip on her death scythe as she spoke.

"And even if I did turn him in, I would just be slowly killing myself. So what if I did a great deed to the shinigami by capturing a madman? Do you really believe that higher officials like William T. Spears would _ever_ accept me back as a citizen, nevertheless a _member_ of the dispatch?! No, they wouldn't, and even if they did, I would not last long. I would still be viewed by most as not only a freak, but an unstable outsider who could turn on them again at any time! I would be back to where I was before I ran away with my death scythe in hand, only even more miserable."

_Either way I lose something I cherish... My heart is broken no matter what._

She looked directly into Ronald's eyes.

"Ronald, I don't want this. You were my only friend and I am forever grateful that you put up with me. But... _what_ choice do I have?"

There was a long silence, neither side refusing to lose its ground. Suddenly, in the back, there was a loud round of applause from a single person. Alarmed, Ronald, Grell, and Lucinda, while Undertaker just calmly looked up, turned to see Sebastian, with Earl Phantomhive standing in the back, watching the four of them.

"I must say, this has been quite the cruise," Sebastian said as he finished his applause. "But it is time to end this once and for all."

He walked up to them, his demon red eyes glowing brighter with each step he took.

"By order of my master, I will take the undertaker with us. Obviously, since you shinigami cannot figure it out among yourselves, I will take it from here."

"I'm afraid I cannot allow that, Sebastian darling."

Grell picked up his death scythe.

"This is grim reaper business and grim reaper business alone. Stay out of this."

"As my duty as a butler, it is my responsibility to complete my master's orders."

From his coat's pockets, Sebastian armed himself with elegantly sharpen silverware.

"I strongly advise you all to stay back."

Grell narrowed his eyes. Undertaker chuckled, coming up to Lucinda and standing right next to her.

"It would seem that the rabbit hunt has become more complicated," he said with a smile. "Two rabbits verses two hunters verses a rogue animal and its tamer."

A dark, amused look glowed within his eyes as parts of his bangs fell into place.

"Now, shall the _true_ fight begin?"


	29. Chapter 28

As if their minds were united, Undertaker and Lucinda were the first to make their moves. Undertaker went straight for Grell and Ronald while Lucinda dashed past them and headed for Sebastian. She forced her mind to drain out thoughts of the situation, that Undertaker and Ronald, with Grell, were on different sides. She made herself only see Sebastian, the demon, as the only enemy, and that she needed to slay him down to protect the others.

_The time has come for me to finally slay you, Sebastian._ You are mine _!_

Jumping high into the air, Lucinda prepared her death scythe, aiming her attack to kill Sebastian on the first strike. With his quick reflexes, Sebastian was able to dodge without much trouble, Lucinda's attack force slamming into the delicate tiled floor and creating a huge, damaging hole. Lucinda was able to recover instantly, her eyes skimming her blade to see any damage to it. Scratches were made into her death scythe, and an overwhelming amount of anger burned within her. Lucinda glared at Sebastian, who just held his arrogant smirk.

"You _hideous_ creature!" Lucinda screamed. "I'll kill you!"

Blindly, she charged, flinging her scythe wildly. Sebastian backed away as Lucinda attempted to corner him, his body swaying away from the scythe whenever it struck as he used his silverware to make a vain attempt at blocking. With each piece of silverware she cut through, the demon would just replenish his weapons from his coat pockets, his supply seeming endless. However, she did not put much care into that thought, as she was moving so fast that he could not attempt to attack her.

Eventually, Lucinda was about to corner Sebastian by one of the windows, where a group of corpses clawed at the windows, desperate to get in.

"I must say, my dear lady shinigami," Sebastian said as he realized he was about to be trapped, "I never realized how deep your wrath for me was. I am truly honored to have a woman such as yourself _this_ personally attached to me."

"This _isn't_ personal attachment!" Lucinda snapped. "You demons are all the same, and I would treat you all with the same loathing disgust!"

"Clearly you are in denial, as your ravishing eyes tell a different story."

Furious, Lucinda attacked. In her overly emotional state, Sebastian saw an opening and slithered his way out of Lucinda's aimed. Before she could stop herself, she ended up shattering the window and her blade went deep into a corpse's skull. Lucinda's eyes widened, as she quickly pulled off the corpse's head away from its body and attempted to slide the head off her blade. At the same time, the corpses poured out of the opening. The corpses would have clawed and killed Lucinda, if it wasn't for Sebastian ending them with his silverware and kicking her to the ground. Lucinda cried out, a large bruise forming on her side as Sebastian placed his foot on her scythe. Sebastian smiled.

"You grim reapers claim yourselves to be superior beings, when in reality you are no better than the weak, helpless humans we both prey upon."

He chuckled softly, his demonic eyes glowing with delight.

"You truly are a creature of arrogance."

"...H-hypocrite!"

Using all her strength, Lucinda was able to pull her death scythe out of Sebastian's footing, causing him to lose his balance momentarily. Taking instant action, Lucinda stood up and stabbed him in the shoulder blade. Sebastian cried out, his human voice morphing into an unearthly sound. In his weakened state, she moved her body closer to him and kicked his side, forcing the blade of her scythe to come out of Sebastian's shoulder, adding more intense pain.

Dark blood soon stained the shoulder part of Sebastian's black coat, his arm limping and utterly useless. Not giving him giving him any time to recover, Lucinda moved behind Sebastian and stabbed him straight in the stomach.

" _Sebastian_!" Earl Phantomhive shouted, his one shown eye wide in shock.

His once invincible butler's cinematic record flew out of his body, making Lucinda smile.

"This isn't enough to kill you instantly, demon, but this is enough to make you suffer in painful humiliation. And right in front of your little master too."

Her smile turned slightly sadistic as Sebastian cries of pain and coughs of blood spitted into the air.

"And now to see a piece of your cinematic record..."

The film then presented itself to Lucinda, flashes of images playing as the story of how Sebastian came to be employed to Ciel Phantomhive revealed itself.

It started with a younger Earl Phantomhive, tattered, injured, and filthy; trapped in a cage with masked men and women gathered around him trying to do some kind of ritual. Shrouded in darkness, Sebastian appears and makes a contract with the desperate boy, taking his bright left blue eye and branding his mark onto him. The demon then slaughters all who were present in the room, leaving him and Phantomhive as the only ones alive. Pulling himself together, Phantomhive and Sebastian discuss their situation, and Sebastian transforms himself into the form of a human butler. There, it was shown how by working together, the broken child and his newly acquainted demon slave transform into the earl and butler they were today.

The cinematic recorded ended when it shows Earl Phantomhive's determination to get revenge on the people who caused him humiliation beyond compare, and Sebastian's delight in what a wonderful meal his master will bring him. When recorded ended, it was brought back into Sebastian's body where Earl Phantomhive ran up to him.

"S-Sebastian, get up!" he exclaimed. "That is an order!"

Sebastian grunted as more pain was brought upon him by Lucinda removing her death scythe. He looked up at Lucinda, his eyes glowing with pain and rage.

"...And yet you call me a disgusting creature...when you are _just_ as despicable..."

He spitted out blood, part of it landing on Lucinda's shoe. Lucinda lifted up her death scythe, her body shaking.

"I am _nothing_ like you."

But before she could make the killing blow, the whole room shook. The ship was now sinking into the ocean, and it would be soon consumed by the icy waters of the Atlantic Ocean. As the ship's tilt grew higher, she felt herself start to lose her footing. Lucinda jumped into the air and got herself onto the top of the railing on the second floor. From below, she saw Sebastian take a hold of Earl Phantomhive, falling slightly till he came across a pillar to hold onto for dear life.

"Lucinda!"

Lucinda blinked as she turned to see Undertaker, who barely had a scratch on him, coming to her side.

"Lucy we have to get out before the ship sinks completely," Undertaker said. "It is impossible for our hunters to pursue us now. We-"

Cutting him off, Grell suddenly jumped from the floor below and came between the two of them.

"Like hell I'm letting you two get away!"

Glaring at Lucinda for a second, Grell used the back of his death scythe to kick her back before he went full out on Undertaker. Lucinda lost her balance, quickly taking a hold of the railing. As she held on tight, the movement of the sinking ship caused her to hit her head against the wall, having enough force to damage one side of her glasses. Lucinda gasped as she could feel that side of her glasses come off her face.

_No...!_

With one hand holding onto her death scythe, the other the railing, she had nothing to save them as her glasses fell off her, falling down into oblivion. As she hung, she could feel her arm losing strength and her fingers losing their grip. Her eyes widened as she tried to use her only arm to pull herself up. But it was in vain, as the only way she could was for her to let go of her scythe and use both arms.

_No! I can't lose my scythe!_

And yet in her blurry vision, she could see the railing slip between her fingers. She closed her eyes tightly. As her arm could no longer take the strain, she let go of the rail.

But at the same moment, she felt someone save her, their cold as ice hand tightly holding her wrist. Lucinda opened her eyes. Though it took awhile for them to get into focus, she could faintly make out Undertaker's eyes meeting hers, and the fear they showed.

Like a new form of strength flowed within her, Lucinda held onto Undertaker. He began to pull her up, using all the strength he had. But once Lucinda had her feet onto the floor, she saw from the corner of her eye Grell's blurry red figure stand up from the ground.

"You bastard! I will teach you to mess with a lady's face!"

In a rage, Grell charged at Undertaker. While still holding onto Lucinda, he could not block the assault effectively, causing him to have his arm damaged by Grell's attack. Grell persisted, where Undertaker did all he could to hold on to Lucinda and defend himself.

Letting go of Undertaker, Lucinda was able to climb up to safety and get behind Grell. Hitting him the back with her scythe, she was able to pin him down onto the ground and knock him out cold. Forcing herself not to look at him for too long, she quickly walked up to Undertaker.

"Are you alright?" she asked, seeing his blood seeping out of his arm and black coat.

Undertaker smiled weakly.

"Don't worry about me, m'dear. I've been through much worse..."

His breathing became heavy. With a large cracking sound coming from the ship's interior, a large gust of water poured into the entry hall. Undertaker, being in the middle of it, would have been swept away from the rushing icy water if Lucinda did not grab him at the last minute, pulling him out of the water's way and into safety.

As she did, she saw the keychain of hair lockets Undertaker always kept get broken off from his coat, falling downwards. Undertaker, in panic, looked down, seeing that the lockets ended up in the hands of Earl Phantomhive, who made eye contact with him.

Lucinda glanced down as well, and though her vision was unclear, she could make out that Ronald was down there, who was swept away by the water. A small tear fell from Lucinda's eye, as she prayed that Ronald would be alright.

"...Lucinda, we have to go now."

Blinking, Lucinda turned to face Undertaker, who had now put his arms around her in a tight embrace. As more and more water poured into the ship, Undertaker used his shinigami powers to protect him and Lucinda from the rushing water, while also transporting themselves to a place of safety.


	30. Chapter 29

Using as much power he could muster, Undertaker was able to transport himself and Lucinda to the edge of London. Exhausted, Undertaker lost his balance, Lucinda having to hold him to prevent him from falling. Rain dropped delicately from the dark sky, soft thunder rumbling in the distance.

"H-hold on," Lucinda said she held Undertaker up. "Stay with me, we are almost home."

Undertaker laughed softly in reply.

Grabbing Undertaker's death scythe, while also holding her own, Lucinda used her shinigami speed to get to the parlor. Once there, Lucinda kicked the door open, breaking the lock in the process. Upon entering, Undertaker let go of Lucinda and fell to the ground, panting heavily as water dripped off from his bangs. He pulled back his bangs, not even caring that his eyes were vulnerable, his body shivering uncontrollably. Meanwhile, Lucinda closed the door of the parlor and barricaded it with both of their scythes.

"The scythes will be able to hold the door for a while, but we need to leave as soon as possible," she said. "Whether Earl Phantomhive and his demon survived or not, it will not be long before the grim reapers find us."

She looked down at Undertaker, noticing his weakened state. Quickly going back to the closet where Undertaker kept his clothes, Lucinda took out a spare black coat and rushed back to his side.

"Take your coat off and put this one on," Lucinda gently ordered. "You are shaking like crazy."

Undertaker met her gaze.

"Your specs..."

Since he wasn't making attempt to take off his wet coat, Lucinda ended up taking it off for him.

"They broke off after Grell made me fall," she explained as threw the old coat to the side. "I couldn't catch them without either letting go of the railing or dropping my death scythe."

She then gingerly slipped each of Undertaker's arms through the sleeves of the coat, making sure it covered him completely.

"If you need me to, I can fetch you some new clothes."

She put her hand against Undertaker's forehead.

"...Your starting to form a fever. Getting us out of the ship must have taken so much energy."

"...He he...I appreciate all of this, Lucy dear," Undertaker said softly. "But you are in no better shape than I am. You need to take care of yourself too."

Lucinda pulled back Undertaker's wet hair away from his face.

"Yes, but I can attend to myself later. Right now, I'm worried about you, and it is about time I start taking care of you..."

She paused for a moment.

"...It is about time I start to help you, Adrian."

There was a long silence, both Lucinda and Undertaker staring deeply into each other's eyes. Undertaker went from a look of shock to a calm, slightly relieved expression.

"He he he... You really have grown since I first found you struggling down the streets of this human city. On a stormy night just like this."

Leaning back against one of the coffins, Undertaker stared at the ceiling, listening to the rain fall.

"Tell me...how did you figure it out? Was it my scythe?"

Lucinda took a moment to reply.

"...I've suspected for a long time that you could have been him. Even with your older appearance, I could still see some resemblance of him in you. And then we started to train in combat, I could recognize his fighting style as we trained. Plus, you refused to tell me your name, show me your death scythe's true form, or show me your full face."

She paused for a moment.

"But what finally told me you were him was when I saw your eyes. The eyes...that I first fell for when I first learned about you in school."

Undertaker glanced over at Lucinda for a second and then back at the ceiling.

"...Funny, how it was my eyes that caught your attention first."

He smiled.

"That was also how I found myself falling for you, m'dear. Through your captivating eyes..."

There was a small pause.

"...I understand keeping your identity a secret from me when we first met," Lucinda finally said, "but why not tell me for this long? What made you hesitant?"

"It is a simple answer. It was because I was afraid of letting you know."

Lucinda blinked.

"...You were afraid?"

Undertaker nodded, not bothering to look at her.

"Remember when I told you that Adrian Crevan was the last reaper you wanted to admire? I told you that because the person you were infatuated with doesn't exist."

Undertaker closed his eyes.

"Yes, I was a skilled reaper and collected many souls, fought and killed many demons. But I am nowhere near the god like image you all picture me to be," he confessed. "Like you, I was an outcast who _despised_ the job I had. True, I was good at it, but I never liked to see the look of each human's eyes as I took their soul away. But seeing death everywhere I go was just the life of a grim reaper, right? To feel no compassion and to be forever hallow was normal, correct? But day after day, day in and day out, it eventually came to the point where I barely could stand seeing the colorless, depressing, never ending sorrow. Within a few hundred years, all I wanted to do was to end it. I wanted to escape, I wanted to bring change, but I couldn't. Everyone...praised me, _praised_ me for the results I brought. They didn't care that I hated to see this never ending trend, they didn't care that I felt empty. No, no one cared what _I_ wanted, but what I could _do_. They did not care about the person I was, only my skills. And in time, I was eventually able to release myself, by retiring and coming here to find a way to break the chain."

He opened his eyes, blinking a couple of times.

"When you first told me I was your hero, I thought it was cute, and was going to tell you one random day to see your priceless reaction. But then...he he he! But then I grew to like the fact you didn't know what my name was, who I was supposed to be. You knew me for _me_ , not my name, not my 'legend.'"

A small tear fell from his cheek.

"He he...pathetic, isn't it?"

He let out a small, broken laugh. Lucinda took a moment before replying, her gaze slowly hardening as Undertaker's words repeated in her mind.

"...No. Not at all."

She moved closer to him.

"I understand perfectly, if only from an opposite perspective. They trapped you by loving your accomplishments, while they trapped me by pushing me down. We were never like them, and we will never be."

She gently brushed her hand against his cheek.

"But we are no longer trapped by them, and we are no longer alone because of it. We've found each other, and together we will find happiness and prevent each other from doing something stupid."

Undertaker gave a small laugh, his eyes never leaving Lucinda's.

" _Oh_? And how do we, you, plan on accomplishing that? We are _very_ stubborn in our goals... If you plan on stopping me, you may still be a little over your head, he he he!"

Lucinda smirked.

"Confident, are we? Well...I know exactly how fix that..."

Closing up the remaining space between them, Lucinda kissed Undertaker, her lips fitting perfectly into his. Undertaker's eyes widened, his whole, wet body becoming stiff.

"I love you, Adrian."

She backed up just enough to say those words before kissing him again. Laughing softly, knowing he had been beaten, Adrian Crevan put his arms around Lucinda and kissed her back, refusing to let her go.


	31. Chapter 30

 

 

 

A faint amount of sunlight lit into the dark funeral parlor, dawn about to rise over the city of London. Lucinda faintly opened her eyes, as the light was hitting her in the right place to wake her up. She groaned a bit, moving ever so slightly as she listened to Undertaker's, no, _Adrian's_ , very shallow breathing.

_Adrian... That is going to take some getting used to._

Careful not to wake him, Lucinda slowly got out of the coffin that they both fell asleep in. Following the light, she walked over to the window, where in her blurry vision she saw the sun start to rise over the tall buildings. She sighed, her mind drifting off as she thought about the uncertainties she was about to face.

Forever more, she was now an enemy of her kind, never again having the slim chance to join their ranks. Ronald had mentioned that a revolution was caused by her actions, but what will become of it now? Had she doomed any sort of change in the shinigami realm, or has it gone past the point of no return?

_Ronald, Grell..._

Lucinda could picture their faces perfectly in her mind, the look in their eyes when she betrayed them. She was so close to being with her old friend again, and a possible new one. Her thoughts raced as she wondered what could have happened if she had stayed by their sides.

_I shouldn't be thinking like this,_ Lucinda thought, shaking her head. _What's done is done. They probably hate me anyway..._

Do they?

Neither of them attempted to attack her during the fight, and while Grell had the opportunity to kill her, he never did. Perhaps...they were just as hurt from it as she was.

Adrian let out a small moan in his sleep, making Lucinda snap out of her thoughts. She turned towards his direction, expecting him to wake. But, he never did.

_...If I had sided with Ronald and Grell, then Adrian would have gone back to being alone. And if he had escaped, he would continue to do his ruthless experiments without any restraints._

Lucinda walked up to edge of the coffin and sat down next to it, gently moving her fingers through Adrian's hair. She smiled, as this was the first time she saw him fully relaxed. Not a single muscle was tensed in his body, his eyes fully shut with a steady breathing.

_If I had left him, there wouldn't be a chance to stop him. To prevent him from doing more harm not only to the grim reaper way of life, but also to himself._

Allowing him to rest, Lucinda leaned her back against the coffin and looked out the window, the sun landing down on her.

_No longer can I think only about myself, my dreams and ambitions. I will never become a legend like I wanted to be, but I can protect_ his  _legend. Protect him as he protected me._

A small smile came across Lucinda's lips.

_No longer am I lost in this twisted world. I am now where I belong._


End file.
